FANG: My Ideas for the 6th MR book
by morgorilla
Summary: Well, you should read the Maximum Ride series before you read this, because I wrote this as what I think the 6th book should be like. Yeah, it might include Angel's prediction that Fang will die and it also has Dylan...
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Maximum Ride characters. **

**AN: okay, you might want to read the Maximum Ride series before you read this because I don't really feel like explaining all of it.**

Flying. There was nothing like it: the wind rushing through your hair, the warm sunlight on your back, the thought that when you land you might potentially get captured and/ or attacked at any moment.

But I tried to keep that thought from my mind. I tried to enjoy being here with Iggy, the Gasman, Nudge, Angel, and Fang. We flew (yeah, you heard me! We _flew_.) in peace and quiet until Angel, fluttering with her small white wings, moaned.

"Max, I'm _starving_!" she complained.

"Alright, we can stop when we get to London," I assured her. We were going to London to meet the queen of England. _She_ wanted to meet _us!_ I didn't really get it and I didn't really care for it, but the others did. So, you know, whatever makes them happy. Plus, it's harder to find us if we're in a big crowd.

I felt someone's eyes on me. I looked at Fang. He was wearing his usual black attire that matched his hair, eyes, and wings. He had a slight smile on his face. We had been a couple (I guess you could call it that, but it sounded so cheesy!) since we left Hawaii. I smiled back.

Then Nudge gasped. Fang and I looked in her direction. She was straining her eyes to see a small figure advancing in the distance. It was going way to fast to be a bird.

"I hear it- it doesn't sound mechanic like Flyboys or M-Geeks. And it doesn't sound as awkward as flying Erasers. Plus… you know…. they're all supposed to be dead," Iggy confirmed. Since Iggy was blind, he had an advanced sense of sound. That's how he could hear the thing in the distance.

"Guys, hang back. Fang and I will handle this. It doesn't look like anything we can't beat the crap out of," I said. The flock flew in the other direction as Fang and I advanced to confront whatever was speeding towards us.

Eventually we could tell what the figure was. It was one of us- a human avian hybrid. He looked about our age and he had a determined look on his face. His eyes were locked on mine. For some reason, I didn't feel threatened. I felt like he was looking into my soul and I felt kinda calm.

…………………….…………………Fang's POV………………………………………

I looked between Max and this other guy who was coming towards us, confused. Max seemed totally unconcerned. In fact, she looked kind of calm. The boy got closer and I could tell he was gonna collide with Max and she didn't look like she was gonna move.

I quickly got between them and tensed, getting ready for the blow. He didn't slow down. He pushed me aside easily even though I tried to fight him off.

He grabbed the confused Max by the waist and held her in his big arms. I watched in horror as he folded in his wings and fell right as a bullet whizzed by them. Whoa, where had that come from? I looked for the shooter, but couldn't see anyone.

This new guy was now holding Max in a fireman carry and he set her on the ground carefully, looking like Superman. Ugh, it made me sick.

**So what did you think? Review because I want to know if it's worth continuing!**


	2. Chapter 2

……………………………..…………Max's POV…………………..……………………

I slowly backed up from him. He had sandy blonde hair that was long, but it didn't quite cover his eyes. He had stunning silver eyes and tanned skin.

You know, usually I'd be all up in his face, but for some reason, I felt like I knew him. It was weird; almost like a dream…

Then Fang flew in and quickly came to my side. "Who the heck are you?" he hissed.

The new guy looked cautiously between us and answered, "I'm Dylan."

"Well what do you want?" Fang asked while putting one arm around my waist protectively.

Dylan didn't answer at first. He seemed like he wanted to say something, he just didn't know how. Then he looked to the sky and saw the flock hovering above where we had just landed.

"There's no time to explain. Follow me," he said while turning around and jumping into the air. His wings were just as sandy blonde as his hair.

Fang and I looked at each other. "Should we?" Fang asked. He didn't take his eyes off Dylan as he gained altitude.

"Yeah. I feel like I know him or something…" I murmured. Fang looked at me with concern.

"Alright. I guess we can go as long as we're on guard," Fang agreed. So we took off after Dylan and motioned for the flock to come too.

……………………..………………Fang's POV……………..………………………

I felt uneasy as we flew behind this Dylan guy. Max seemed to trust him a lot, which is weird since we don't even know him, and Max never trusts _anybody_. He flew with certainty and every once in a while, he looked at Max and I saw his eyes light up. I don't think she noticed it, but I sure did.

I looked at Max and her eyebrows knitted together as she looked at Dylan. She'd said before that she felt like she knew him.

_It's okay, Fang._ Angel said intrusively in my mind. _He doesn't seem like a bad guy from what I've picked up in his thoughts. But it is weird how he thinks about Max…Don't worry about it though._

_ Yeah, whatever, _I thought back. I tried to block my mind from her so that she wouldn't get anything I didn't want her to.

Just then, Iggy came up next to me. "Hey, what is this guy like? Why are we following him?" he whispered.

"I don't know, Iggs," I whispered back. Yep, that's me: Mr. Helpful! He fell back, looking thoughtful.

I hoped that the younger kids weren't worried. I looked back, but they looked fine. Angel and Nudge were playing air fetch with Total and Gazzy was fiddling with some explosive that he'd put together back in Hawaii.

I turned around, feeling someone's eyes on me to find Dylan watching me. His eyes turned cold and hard and I found myself glaring at him. Eventually he looked away and his jaw hardened.

"It's just up ahead," he said, pointing to a small cottage just outside of London. We glided down for a landing and Max and I exchanged looks. I gave her a reassuring smile, but it probably looked fake.

Time to find out what this Dylan was all about.

**REVIEW!!!!!!! **


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Thanks for the reviews. I'll try to keep some of your thoughts in mind. **

…………………………………Max's POV………………….………….…………

We got to the quiet cottage around six o'clock. It was small, but surprisingly, had lots of yard around it and an unused garden in the front. It looked like it was supposed to be for an old married couple and I wondered what Dylan could possibly be doing living _here._

The younger kids were gazing at it happily. "It looks like Snow White's little cottage!" Nudge giggled with bright eyes.

Fang and I exchanged nervous glances; the cottage looked suspicious to us. I saw that Iggy looked the same way. I bit my lip.

"Uhh, Dylan? What the heck are we doing here?" I asked. He didn't respond, but I thought I heard him chuckle. That kinda made me nervous.

I stopped and hovered where I was. The flock stopped, too. Dylan glanced back when he saw that we weren't following him anymore. "Alright, buddy. We've followed you this far. We've been in way too many traps to just let you lead us blindly into one. Who do you think you _are?_" I saw Fang smirk out of the corner of my eye. Huh, something about this amused him. "Oh yeah, and what's with the freaking _cottage_? Not exactly the darkest and most sinister place to hold six bird kids captive."

He frowned. "What makes you think I would want to hold you captive, Max? I'm one of your kind. If anything, I'm _protecting _you." He looked sincere. I wanted to spit in his face and say, _You are not one of us until you prove it!_ but for some strange reason, I actually believed him.

I glanced behind me at my flock. They had all grown silent and were watching us with intensity. I hadn't realized that they had backed up, probably expecting me to punch this guy's lights out. When my eyes met Fang's, he half smiled. _Go with your gut_, he mouthed.

So I turned back to Dylan and tried to put a bored expression on my face. I sighed. "Whatever, just explain what's going on."

He opened his mouth then clamped it shut. He looked at me pleadingly. "I can't," he half said, half whispered. My fists clenched and I glared at him. "… but I know someone who can," he finished.

When I didn't say anything, he glanced down at the cottage nervously and said, "Keep circling the house. I'll see if he's home. I promise that he'll be able to explain everything. Really, Max. I didn't mean to confuse you."

He brought his gaze back to me and my heart skipped a few beats and I felt my face get hot without me telling it to. He actually was kind of cute….

I smiled weakly. "Okay…" That was all I could manage. How pathetic! What was going on? First I'm mad at him, now I'm going mushy over him?

He smiled back warmly, then descended and left me there trying to get my thoughts in line.

_**Ooh, Max! **_Angel giggled in my head.

_**Don't tell Fang!**_ I tried to say threateningly, but wasn't quite sure since my heart was still pumping fast.

Fang flew up next to me as we circled the perimeters of the cottage's back yard. His wing brushed against mine. I didn't dare to look at him until I got my emotions under control.

_God, what was happening to me?_

**So what do you think? Did you like this? Mylan or Fax? Review! Review! Review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Thanks for the reviews again! Keep telling me what you think about this little love triangle, please, it helps to know what you think when I'm writing. Ok, well I hope you like this! 3 3 3**

……………………………………..Fang's POV……………………………………..……

Dylan swooped down below us and landed gracefully on the stone pathway in front of the cottage. He folded his sandy wings and walked towards the door, aware that we were still watching him. He knocked lightly, and we saw the door open just enough for him to squeeze in. We didn't see, however, the person who opened it.

I was actually kind of upset. Max was acting unusual, but I felt better while she was yelling at Dylan and demanding answers. When he'd acted calmly and responded smoothly, I remember thinking, _Oooh. He's gonna get it now!_ Then, when she had turned and looked at the rest of us, I had mouthed _Go with your gut_, which I thought would mean that she would kick his butt. Nope. She just listened to him- _believed _him- and now we were waiting for him to come back with whoever was supposed to explain all of this to us.

I joined Max in the front, my dark wing slightly brushing against hers. She didn't look at me. I kept silent, pondering.

Then I heard snickering behind me. I turned around to see Angel trying to keep a straight face, but she let out a few giggles.

**What is it, Angel?** I projected to her.

**You'll find out soon enough, **she teased. I groaned. How much longer was I gonna be out of the loop?

Then Max turned to me; her face looking distressed. She gave me a weak smile. I half smiled back, then asked, "Is everything okay?"

She sighed. "I guess I'm just tired." She was lying.

………………………..…………..Max's POV……………..………………………..

We flew silently for a little while longer, and when we passed the front part of the property for about the third time, Dylan motioned us to land. We descended and soon we were standing right in front of the cottage.

"Okay, you guys can come in. I've got someone ready to explain everything," he said while walking to the door and opening it for us. No one moved.

"How do we know it's safe?" Gazzy asked skeptically. My heart swelled. He made me so proud.

"It's safe. I can tell that he's not lying," Angel confirmed. She tapped her temple lightly with her index finger as if she had to remind us that she could, you know, _read minds _and stuff.

Everyone looked at me. I nodded slightly and we slowly started to file through the door.

As I put my foot over the threshold, I felt Fang's fingers close around my arm and pull me back. Dylan looked between us, and Fang gave him a look that said, _Uhh, a little privacy please?_

Dylan slowly closed the door without taking his eyes off of us.

I refused to look at Fang as I said, "Fang, I don't like leaving them in there by themselves. C'mon, let's go inside."

"Angel said it was fine. It'll only take a few seconds, anyways."

I glanced nervously at the door. I didn't really think that anything bad was going to happen to them. I was just dreading what Fang had to say to me.

"What's wrong?" Fang whispered. He had his hands around me and he looked down at me with concern.

"I told you. I'm just tired," I lied.

"No, Max. What's _really_ wrong?" he asked soothingly.

Emotions stirred within me. Fang was so perfect. But what was going on with me? Did I somehow have feelings for Dylan, this strange guy I've just met? I realized that I did, but that still didn't change the way I felt for Fang.

Yeah, Dylan was kind of cute, but Fang was just… just… Fang.

Fang- my right hand man, my best friend, my sanity, my heart, my life. My one and only true love.

No matter what, Fang would always be the one I chose. He was a part of me now. No way would I let a few lousy feelings for Dylan influence the way I felt for Fang.

I looked up at Fang and whispered, "I love you."

He blinked. Obviously, he wasn't quite expecting that response. "I love you, too…"

I smiled and broke out of his embrace while he was still stunned. I grabbed his hand and we walked into the house together.

When we entered the small living room, we saw the flock sitting awkwardly, staring at a figure that was standing in the kitchen. Fang and I couldn't quite see the person from this angle, but I could tell by the flock's expressions that they were just waiting for me to confront him (or her).

I took a few more steps forward. Fang stiffened beside me and squeezed my hand.

I inhaled loudly as I saw who was standing next to Dylan.

**AN: Alright guys, this one was kind of filled with Faxness (which I'm okay with, quite frankly) but what do you think? REVIEW! I CRAVE YOUR RESPONSES!!!!**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Sorry I haven't updated in a while, but I didn't get any reviews! (Well, I didn't really expect any, but still…) It really doesn't take that long. It could just be like, "Awesome!" or "THAT SUCKED!" or a tip that you want to give me. I promise I will NOT eat you if you give me criticism! Anyways, here's the next chappie… **

…………………………….……….…..Max's POV………………….………………

My muscles tensed as I glared at Jeb. He stood next to Dylan with a protective hand on his shoulder. (Hah! _Jeb_ was the one needing _protecting!_)Dylan looked confused. He looked between Jeb's cautious face and my furious one.

I was enraged. "Been messing with people's genes again, Jeb?" I snarled. He flinched, which I enjoyed. I took a step forward and he took one back. He opened his mouth to say something, but I cut him off. "Haven't you already had your fun after ruining _our _lives?" I gestured to the flock who were now standing up and were ready to go.

"It's not what you think, Max," Jeb said. That ticked me off, so I lunged at him. Jeb's eyes widened. Just as I was about to grab at him, Fang pulled me back. I struggled against him, but he just held me even tighter with my arms pinned behind me. Geez, when did he get so freaking _strong_?

"Let's see what he has to say first," he whispered so that only I could hear him.

I sighed. Eventually, I stopped struggling and Fang slowly released me.

I took a few deep breaths to keep my self control. Let me tell ya- it took every ounce of my being not to just finish Jeb off now so that he could no longer inflict anymore pain on us.

"You have thirty seconds to explain," I grumbled as I crossed my arms. Dylan was now standing in front of Jeb in a fighting stance.

"You… You know each other?" Dylan asked quietly as Jeb gently pushed him aside. The flock laughed harshly and I saw Fang roll his eyes.

"I saved Maximum and her friends from the School and raised them myself," Jeb explained. He looked like he felt awkward having to tell this to Dylan.

"Yeah, after he left his own _son _and then _betrayed_ us to the Whitecoats!" I yelled. I had to make Dylan understand that Jeb was not the good guy here.

Dylan seemed to not have heard what I had said. He looked at Jeb in shock. "You raised _them_? But… But you… You raised _me_!" he whispered. Jeb looked at him sympathetically.

I blinked. _What???_

"Well, kids," Jeb sighed. "Looks like I've got some explaining to do."

**Haha! Another cliff hanger! So….. how was this? REVIEW! SERIOUSLY!!! Now now now now now!**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Ok, so I guess some of you don't really know who Dylan is. I didn't either for a REALLY long time. Well I don't know exactly, but I heard from some other MR fans that there was some sort of release of the summary of Fang, the soon-to-be 6****th**** book. Look it up on google, if you must. I would tell you, but that would kind of mess up my story… **** Don't ask me anymore about that cuz I really don't know myself. Also, if you think I'm making Max and Fang to mushy and stuff, sorry. I really didn't think it was that mushy at all so far… compared to what it could have been! Anyways, sorry, but I'm probably gonna have more Faxness than James Patterson would. Yeah. I like faxness.**

……….…………………..…………Max's POV…………………………………………

We all sat down (against our will, of course) and listened to what Jeb had to say. Wow. I think that's a first.

"Alright… well… Let's see…" Jeb said nervously while rubbing his hands together. I sighed and rubbed my temples.

"So… Let's do this in a time line order," he started. "Well, as you know, I worked for Itex and was what you kids call a 'Whitecoat'. It originally started out with just testing animals- I would never have joined if I knew they were testing human beings!"

Total huffed. "Testing on animals isn't any better!"

Jeb frowned, obviously forgetting about our dog's special abilities. "Ummm… Yes, I suppose you're right… Anyways, I eventually learned to turn from the cruel human experiments even though it bothered me very much." Ha! I highly doubt that. "But when I saw you, Maximum, I couldn't stand it any longer. I saw the way you tried to refuse the scientists' tests and I saw that you were intelligent. That's why I took you and the rest of the flock away. I wanted to help you."

"And you left your own son to the Whitecoats. Yes, Jeb, you truly are a hero," I hissed.

"It wasn't my choice. I had to leave him. He was due to be… changed," Jeb whispered.

"Into a ravenous bird-craving _dog_ that only lives for a short five to seven years?" I almost yelled.

Jeb opened his mouth to argue, but Dylan interrupted. "You would do that to your own _son_?" he asked in disbelief and disgust.

"I had to!" Jeb said defensively. "It was a part of a deal I made."

"Ha!" I exclaimed. "A deal where you get six obnoxious bird kids and they get a perfectly nice little boy. Hmm… Sorry, Jeb, but I think they got the better end of the deal."

"Would you please let me try to explain?!" Jeb cried, exasperated.

I opened my mouth to say something snappy, but was interrupted.

_**Listen to him, Maximum. It will be worth while. You need this information.**_

Hoorah. The Voice is back. Right when I need it most. I clamped my mouth shut anyways, because the Voice has never been wrong before.

Everyone looked surprised that I gave up that easily. Jeb looked satisfied with himself.

"Anyways, as I was saying, it was part of a deal I made. When people saw that I didn't like what they were doing to the experiments, they wanted a deal to make sure that I would really be faithful and keep the secret safe. They wanted something that they knew I would protect at all costs. And that just happened to be Ari. I had to let him be changed into an Eraser to show that I supported the experiments," Jeb said. His eyes teared up. My head was swirling with one word: LIAR! I'm sorry, but this was all too much.

"They put a tracker in him, as they do with all of the Erasers, so we couldn't take him with us. He would've given away our location," Jeb continued. Poor Ari. He had such a cruel father. Well, technically, Jeb was my father, too…

"That still doesn't explain anything about Dylan," Angel brought up.

"Well, you all remember when I left, right?" he asked. _Are you kidding me?_

We all glared at him. "No duh," Iggy said.

Jeb turned red and he smiled weakly. "Yes, of course you do. Well earlier that day, I had gotten a call from one of my colleagues back at the School who knew about my rescue mission. He told me about Dylan and I knew I had to leave. I went back and my friend tried to help me with the escape. But we were caught. They said they'd kill me if I didn't give your location away to them. That's how they found you in the mountains, of course.

"So after they got the information they needed, they accepted me back into Itex," Jeb finished.

"Wait, wait, wait. They just… _let_ you back into Itex after you'd taken its most prized experiments?" I asked suspiciously.

"It's… complicated…" Jeb mumbled.

"We're listening," Fang said coldly.

"Well, before I tried to rescue Dylan, my friend gave me some valuable information that only she knew about. After the Erasers found us and killed her, I was the only person left with it. They realized that I wouldn't give that information away for anything. It was better to keep me close by than to let me loose to tell anyone I might. So they granted me… I guess you could call it… 'custody' of Dylan and I have been raising him in secret ever since."

"Valuable information, huh? Oooh! That sounds all secret and stuff!" Nudge squealed. "I bet Dylan can do something really cool, then. Like- cooler than Angel! I bet he has laser vision or… or… teleportation!"

Gazzy looked thoughtful. "He wouldn't need wings if he could teleport," he reasoned.

"Oh yeah," Nudge said. That kept her quiet for a little while longer.

"No, no. It's not that kind of information," Jeb sighed impatiently.

"Then what is it?" Dylan asked. Huh. Looks like someone (*cough*Jeb*cough*) isn't being very truthful to his new "son".

Jeb looked between me and Dylan. "I don't think I should say…" he murmured.

"You better!" I raised my voice.

"Yes, do tell," Dylan said while glaring at Jeb. Looks like he was catching on.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Hey guys, thanks for all the reviews! Especially from George Washington- those reviews really helped! See??? That's what I'm talking about, people! She really gave me her opinion and pointed some things out to me! Anyways, I don't think I'll be writing anymore for about two weeks. (You know, the holidays, and whatnot…) So here's the next chapter. Yes, it's exciting. Sorry it's really short.**

……………………….………..….…..Fang's POV…………………………………...…..

Jeb paused and looked around uncomfortably. "I-I'm not sure if it's such a good idea to say in front of everyone," he stuttered.

I saw Max's jaw tighten as she glared at Jeb. "Well too bad. Start talkin'."

"No, Max, really… I… don't think it'd be right," Jeb argued quietly.

"Oh, well when you put it that way….. I still don't care," Max said with a smile.

Jeb sighed and crossed his arms. "No. I will only tell you and Dylan in _private_."

Max looked furious. Then, a blank expression crossed her face. After a moment, she sat back down looking torn.

_Voice?_ I mouthed silently to her. She nodded and gave me a puzzled expression. I could tell that the Voice had told her to go with Jeb.

She pouted and jerked her chin up. "Fine. I'll go with you and Dylan. But Fang's coming, too." Good. I would have come anyways.

Jeb's eyes widened and he looked between me and Max. "Okay, well that's _really_ not a good idea."

"Huh. That's funny. Because I really don't care," I said.

The vein in Jeb's neck was popping out and his eyebrows knitted together in frustration. Finally he got up and motioned for Max and Dylan to follow him. He glared at me, so I figured that was my signal to follow as well.

We followed him through the small halls, leaving the tense flock staring after us.

I still didn't trust Jeb. His story seemed fake. Especially the fact that he _had _to give away our location and that that's why the Erasers found us. Uhh, they didn't find us until _TWO YEARS_ after he left. _Two years! _That was kind of unrealistic.

Jeb led us outside and we stopped a few yards away from the house. Jeb turned and faced us.

He looked between Max and Dylan. Then he paused and took a deep breath.

I watched Max's beautiful face become a mask of seriousness. She turned her big brown eyes up to me and I couldn't help but smile slightly. I felt Dylan's glare boring into me. Whatever.

Jeb cleared his throat and he immediately had all of our attention.

"Max, Dylan was created to be your perfect other half."

**Yeah, sorry it's so short. I didn't really have a lot of time. Anyways, just review please. All I want for Christmas is a couple of reviews! Yay! Merry Christmas! Happy Kwanza! Happy Hanukkah! (Wait, I think Hanukkah is over…) and whatever other religion you may have! But seriously. Review.**


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Thanks for the reviews! Yeah, I know I said I probably wouldn't update for another two weeks, but whatever. I guess I just love you all that much… Anyways, here's a new chapter. I think you all might be.... uh..... very _opinionated_ about this chapter. (yeah, that's a good way to put it!)  
**

………………………………….....Max's POV………………………………..………….

Truth be told, I was just shocked. It really didn't sink in. I felt like one of those geeky tourists that walk into a foreign restaurant and the waiter asks you something in a different language and you don't understand it and feel completely idiotic. Well, something like that.

I stared dumbly at Jeb who was watching me with concern. Then I slowly turned my gaze up to Fang.

He was rigid and stiff. He wouldn't look at me and I could see his jaw harden.

I looked at Dylan. He was watching me with curiosity written across his beautiful face. He didn't look shocked at the news. Almost like he somehow knew, but Jeb had just confirmed his theory.

I looked back at Fang who was now glaring at Dylan over my head. I could practically see him fuming. I gently touched his arm but he pulled away.

"Well… That's…" I stammered.

"Interesting," Dylan finished.

Fang wheeled to face him with a horrific look on his face. He clenched his fists and hissed, "What- now you're gonna start finishing her sentences, pretty boy???" That was a bit un-Fang like.

Dylan looked shocked, but it quickly turned into defensiveness. "Fang, I'm not trying to take Max away from you."

"Well. That's funny. Because you sure have seemed to be very interested in her lately," Fang backfired.

My face turned red and I looked between them not knowing what to say or do. I was mad at the both of them. They were talking about me as if I wasn't even there.

"Well that sounds a little like jealousy," Dylan said with a smirk. That was the wrong thing to say.

Now Fang's face was red and he launched towards Dylan. I threw myself in the way and Fang knocked me down in his rage to get his hands on Dylan. I hit the ground with a thud and I felt my arm twist and snap under my weight as I tried to catch myself. I let out a quiet yelp of pain and felt the blood leave my face.

I gritted my teeth as I tried to stand back up without using my left arm. Fang had a surprised Dylan pinned to the ground but he was frozen with his fist in the air.

I met Fang's eyes which were filled with concern and regret. Dylan was also watching me and quickly pushed Fang off.

Fang didn't fight. He just stood up and watched me from where he was standing. Dylan rushed to me, yelling, "Max! Are you alright?" He took my injured arm gingerly in his grasp and lightly pressed where it had broken. I gasped slightly and I saw Fang wince.

Jeb now rushed to me, also. "Here let me see."

"Her arm is dislocated and is also broken about three inches below the elbow," Dylan informed him.

Jeb shook his head and glared at Fang. Then he turned back to me. "I'm gonna have to pop it back in. Do you remember how I did this back in the mountains?" I nodded, remembering the time that Fang and I brawled and my arm had been dislocated. Fang looked distraught, obviously also remembering.

"One… Two…" _Crack!_ I shrieked as my bones grinded together and snapped back into place.

Fang's face was completely white. He gave me a sympathetic look before he ran in the opposite direction. He launched himself into the air and extended his wings of pure black. I watched him fly away and I felt completely…. confused.

"I can't _believe _this!" Dylan grumbled. "He's such a-"

"It's not his fault," I interrupted. "He just…" Really, I didn't know what was wrong. Did Fang really think that I would leave him just because Jeb said that Dylan was my perfect other half? I mean, when did we _ever_ believe Jeb about _anything?_

Just then, Angel bursted out of the house in tears followed by the rest of the flock. They must have heard my scream.

"It's okay, guys. Everything is fine," I said as she ran up to me.

"Where's Fang?" Angel asked, her head whipping around.

"He… left for a little while… He'll be back soon, though," I answered in confusion.

Angel's eyes widened and a whole new set of tears erupted.

With my uninjured arm, I grabbed Angel's shoulder. "Angel, what's wrong? What's going on?"

She tried to tell me, but she couldn't seem to get it out. Iggy walked forward stiffly and looked me straight in the eye. Funny how he could do that, without even seeing.

"Angel had a vision of Fang's death," he somberly informed me.


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Wow, I've had way more time on my hands this holiday season than expected! Well, I'm not complainin'. Here's a new chapter.**

…………………….………..…….…Max's POV…………………..……………………

It didn't take me two seconds for my brain to start whirling with awful thoughts of Fang's death. Fang couldn't die. I wouldn't let him. I had to find him. _Now. _I couldn't let anything hurt him.

"I'm going to go find him," I declared and turned, ready to take off. Iggy caught my arm and held me in place.

"We want to go, too," he said sternly.

"No. Whatever is after Fang isn't allowed to come anywhere _near_ the rest of you. Wait- Angel, how did you see Fang dying?" I asked.

"Well, it seems I developed a new ability to have visions of the future. It was just a quick glimpse- almost like a short scene from a movie. Fang was flying and then it looked like he just… dropped…. out of the sky… and died," she said barely above a whisper.

_How convenient, _I thought. _Fang is out flying right now. _"Well, I don't think we have much time then. I'm leaving right now, and the lot of you are staying here."

"_Max!_" Nudge whined. "We want to help! Fang is important to us! Well, maybe not as important as he is to you, since you two are in love and stuff, but he's still important and we really care about him and if anything happens to him, we will be absolutely devastated! If he… dies… and we weren't even able to help, I don't think I could live with myself. That would totally suck!"

"Calm down!" I hissed, squeezing my eyes shut tight. I took a deep breath. "Look. I know you guys want to help, but the thing is," I said, lowering my voice so that only the flock could hear me, "I don't think we can trust Jeb and Dylan completely. You need to stay here and keep an eye on them. Who knows- maybe they have something to do with the planning of Fang's death and you being here would be able to prevent it." I highly doubted it, but it was the only way to keep them here; Making them think they had a mission of their own.

"So like, a secret mission?" Gazzy asked with a glint in his eye.

I nodded, smiling wickedly. "More like a _spy_ mission." They liked the sound of that.

Angel stepped forward with her chin up. She smiled sweetly and whispered, "Don't worry, Max. We won't let you down. If Jeb tries anything suspicious, we'll rip out his spine and beat him with it." Aww, how cute. She quoted me.

"Okay, well, you guys be safe. Iggy, you're in charge until I get back. Absolutely _no explosives_, unless of course, they are mandatory for your self defense. I'll be back soon. With Fang." I smiled and we stacked our fists. It felt different without Fang. We all broke apart and the younger kids started ranting on about their special mission.

I tapped the back of Iggy's hand, and he followed me a few yards away from the flock. "Iggy, please keep them safe. I really don't trust Jeb; his story seems fake. If anything happens, get the flock out. Take them somewhere with a lot of people. I'll find you. Hopefully, everything will go well, but just in case…. be prepared."

He nodded solemnly. "I will. Good luck finding Fang. Be safe."

With that, I took a running start and leaped into the air, unfurling my wings.


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: Lookie! Another chapter! I cannot believe my eyes!**

………………………………………..Max's POV………………………………………..

I was only three yards above the ground when I heard someone yell, "Max!" I groaned in annoyance. I was _never _going to find Fang at this pace.

I hovered where I was, refusing to land and forcing Dylan to fly up to me. "Max, you can't go looking for Fang by yourself!" I rolled my eyes and started flying in the direction I had seen Fang take off.

"I'm serious, Max. You can't be out there by yourself with a broken arm!" he argued.

"I am more than capable of taking care of myself!" I snapped. "Trust me, this is not the worst injury I've ever had!"

Dylan sighed. "Well I'm coming with you."

"No, you're not."

"Yes I am."

"No you're not!" I was starting to get pissed now. He was _way_ over protective for someone I just met earlier this morning.

"I'm coming whether you like it or not," he argued snidely.

"Why do you care? It's not like anything will happen to me," I said.

"Plenty of things could happen to you! Only this morning someone tried to shoot you out of the sky! What if that happened again? Also, there's no telling what Fang would do to you when--"

I halted. "What the heck is _that_ supposed to mean???" I yelled.

Dylan winced. "You saw what he did to you! What if he hurt you again?"

Okay, so now I was really worked up. He didn't understand _anything!_ "What Fang did to me was completely an accident!" I screamed at him. "He would never hurt me on purpose!"

Dylan shrugged. "Who really knows. I don't want anything to happen to you. I care about you a lot."

I looked at him, confused. "We only met this morning…" I whispered.

He smiled and my heart clenched. "Yet I feel like I've known you forever. Almost like… from a dream…" he said thoughtfully. I remembered how I felt like I knew him, too.

I sighed. "I give up. You can come." No use fighting something that wasn't going to change. Instead, I was going to fight something that I knew I _had_ to change—Angel's prediction.


	11. Chapter 11

AN: Merry Christmas, everybody!!! Guess what I got??? A laptop!!! (people who already have laptops- stop sneering). That means I'll get to write more often! Anyways, sorry about the short chapters. I can make longer chapters if you'd like, but they would be updated a lot less frequently. Tell me what you think. Also, some of you guys are saying I do too may cliff hangers. I don't know, I guess they just seem like a good place to stop in each chapter! I don't like ones that end like "And we all flew happily towards the sunset". That just isn't me. Sorry.

…………………………………..…….Fang's POV………………...……………………..

I landed ungracefully and walked through the woods. I didn't know where I was. I didn't care. Right now, I just wanted to be away from all of them. I'd go back eventually.

I wandered a bit further, until I found a cave. Entering the cave, I retreated to the very back and sat down, leaning against the wall.

It was dark out now, and no one had found me. I doubt they were even looking. Max must be really pissed at me.

I completely humiliated myself. I acted like a jealous idiot and ended up hurting the one person I should have been protecting, leaving _Dylan _of all people there to comfort her.

What hurt the most is knowing that I might lose her to him. And sitting in the back of this cave wasn't helping one bit.

………………………………………..Max's POV………………………………………

We searched the rest of the day until it was dark. I was getting so worried about him. What if Angel's vision had already come true? Fang could already be dead….

"Max, you okay? You look kind of sick," Dylan said, eying me nervously.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Let's keep looking."

"Maybe we should stop. If we rest right now, we'll have all day tomorrow to look for him," he reasoned.

I forced my eyelids open and peered all around me. "No. We have to keep looking."

"We can't find him if we're too tired to keep our eyes open. C'mon, let's find a resting spot."

"God, you're stubborn!" I hissed.

He smiled. "So are you." He angled his body downward and started to descend. I followed. We landed in a small clearing.

"Trees sound comfortable to you?" he asked sarcastically.

I shrugged. "I'm more of a cave gal'" I teased back. "I'm sure there's one around here somewhere." I started into the woods. I heard Dylan chuckle behind me as he followed.

We walked a little further until we found a small cave. It was a bit of a climb, but it wasn't bad. We didn't go too far; probably only eight yards deep. We both settled against opposite walls. I pretended to be asleep so that Dylan wouldn't try to talk to me.

When I thought Dylan was asleep, I quietly got up and walked to the entrance of the cave. I sat down on the ledge and looked up at the stars. They were glinting and twinkling, giving me a sliver of hope. "Fang, where are you?" I whispered.

"We'll find him," Dylan said as he sat down next to me. He gave me a reassuring smile.

I jumped. "I thought you were asleep."

He shook his head and looked at the stars through his sandy blonde hair. I could see the reflection in his eyes. I watched him, wondering what he was thinking.

"Why do you like him?" he asked unexpectedly. "He doesn't seem like your type." His eyes bore into mine.

"We grew up together. We've been through everything together. I love the way he's so quiet and thoughtful. He's always there for me and he always will be," I explained.

"Well he's not here now," Dylan pointed out. I didn't realize how close he was. His hand now rested on top of mine. I didn't pull away. I couldn't.

"Just because those stupid scientists say we should be together, that doesn't mean we have to be," I managed to choke out. "We always have the choice. We can make our own descision."

Now his face was closer. He smelled like honey and pine trees. My heart was beating fast. My breathing was getting faster.

"Max," he whispered while leaning in even closer. "I _do _care about you. I decided that for myself."

He was now only a few inches away from me. I could here his breath and his heartbeat. He closed his eyes and waited for me to fill the small distance.

Now it was my turn to choose. My head was spinning and I was completely stiff. I didn't know what to do. What was right? What was wrong? I couldn't tell anymore. I closed my eyes and tried to get my thoughts in line.

_**He's perfect for you, Max. Think of how happy you could be together.**_

That helped me make up my mind. My eyes snapped open and I jumped up just as Dylan leaned in impatiently.

"You seem like a nice guy, but if you _really _knew me, you'd know that I hate being put in situations like this. It took Fang fourteen and a half years to kiss me and get me to kiss him back. I would just give up on me if I were you." And with that, I spread my wings, ready to leave.

"I won't give up," Dylan said in a low voice. I shivered; it sounded a lot like Fang. "We were meant to be, Max. You'll see. I won't give up and you'll give in eventually."

I snorted and took off.


	12. Chapter 12

AN: Uhhh, those of you who have me on your favorite author or favorite story list, you probably should've gotten an email from fanfiction when I uploaded chapter 11, but for some reason I don't think it worked. It didn't even send me an email to notify me that it had been added. So if you didn't know about chapter 11…. Sorry. Go back and read it 'cause this chapter is gonna relate back to it. YEAH!

…………………………….….…………Fang's POV………………...…………………………

I heard a thud echoing through the cave. I lifted my head and tensed. Then, a second thud came. I jumped up silently and creeped towards the entrance.

As I got closer, I heard talking. There were two voices, one of them was very familiar. I smiled as I realized it was Max. It quickly turned into a frown when I realized who she was with. I was too ashamed to come out and face them. I sneaked closer to them and kept still, allowing myself to disappear.

From my hiding spot, I saw that they were sitting on the ledge right outside of the cave. They were watching the stars. Well, Max was watching the stars. Dylan was watching Max.

"Why do you like him?" Dylan asked, leaning closer to Max. She didn't notice. "He doesn't seem like your type." I almost growled. _And what's her type??? You? _I thought.

Max looked back at him, blushing slightly as she told him, "We grew up together. We've been through everything together. I love the way he's so quiet and thoughtful. He's always there for me and he always will be." Ha! Beat that, Dylan!

I saw Dylan tense in frustration. "Well he's not here now," he pointed out smoothly. I watched as his hand rested on top of hers.

**She didn't move. She just looked back at him. Then, she choked out, "**Just because those stupid scientists say we should be together, that doesn't mean we have to be. We always have the choice. We can make our own descision." She watched him intently with her big brown eyes.

He leaned even closer and Max's eyes widened. "Max," he breathed. "I _do_ care about you. I decided that for myself." Boy, was he the charmer. I wanted to rip his guts out. He leaned in even closer until he was only inches away from her face.

All my muscles tightened as I watched Max and Dylan. If she chose him, I would have nothing. I wouldn't be able to go back to the flock and pretend like nothing was wrong. I would have to live on my own. And let's face it—I wouldn't be able to live without Max.

Dylan closed his eyes and tilted his head. I almost gagged as I anticipated the kiss. He waited for her to fill the small distance between their lips.

Her free hand shook and her breathing came shallower and faster. She still didn't move. I felt like all of my nerves were on fire. She closed her eyes….

And jumped up. I never felt happier in my life. Dylan leaned into the empty space that used to be Max. He opened his eyes in confusion and looked up at the trembling Max.

"You seem like a nice guy, but if you _really _knew me, you'd know that I hate being put in situations like this," she said. "It took Fang fourteen and a half years to kiss me and get me to kiss him back. I would just give up on me if I were you." Then, she spread her wings. The moonlight shone down on her determined face and the breeze played in her hair.

Just as she was about to take off, Dylan grumbled, "I won't give up." Max shivered for some reason unknown to me. "We were meant to be, Max. You'll see. I won't give up and you'll give in eventually." Max just snorted and flew away.

I was so happy. Happier than I had been in a long time. I was so sure that Max and I would be together now. Not even her perfect match could keep us apart. But I don't think that Dylan realized this yet… Looked like I was gonna have to tell him myself.

I stepped out from my crevice and walked up behind Dylan. The hairs on the back of his neck prickled and he spun around to face me, wide-eyed. "F-F-Fang!" he gasped. "Where the heck did you come from?"

If this was a normal day, I probably just would've shrugged. Instead, I punched him square in the face. He staggered back with his hand over his bloody nose. His eyes showed fear and hatred.

He took a few shaky steps towards me and swung his arm at me clumsily. I easily ducked and kicked his legs out from under him.

Dylan face-planted and skidded across the cold cave floor. I casually strolled in his direction as he groaned and rolled over. I leaned over him and said, "Stay away from Max," with a smile.

Then I took off after Max.

Max would probably be flying around after a nerve wracking night like tonight. She always flies when she wants to think about things.

I searched all night, with no luck. Only when early morning came did I find a huge oak tree with an unnaturally large bird sprawled across a few of its branches. I smiled and circled in.

I landed silently next to her. She was beautiful in the morning light. She was muttering in her sleep. "Gotta… find…Fang…Can't…let him…die…" She must have been having a bad dream.

I caressed her cheek. "Max, wake up. I'm here," I whispered softly. She opened one eye just a crack. Then, she leaped up and practically pushed me out of the tree. "FANG!!!" she yelled. "I'm so glad you're okay! Where have you been? I can't believe that you left like that! You scared me to death! Especially after Angel—" she cut off her endless worrying.

I chuckled and looked down at her. "Especially after Angel what?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. She looked upset.

Max shook her head. "Nevermind. I'm just so glad you're okay," she said with a smile. She squeezed me tighter and hid her face.

"Oww," I said as Max squeezed the air out of me. She smiled up at me and loosened her grip. _Sorry_, she mouthed.

I was just happy to be with her. I loved her so much.

"C'mon," I said, nodding my head towards the sky. "Let's get back to the flock."

We stood up carefully and balanced ourselves on the tree limbs. Then, we both flew off happily into the sunrise.

AN: Haha, you like my ending? Just like I said I didn't like to do. Well, whatever. Anyways, REVIEW!


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: Hmm… well I still don't know if fanfiction is working for me. I don't know what's going on! Wah! Anyways, I'm writing this chapter just for the heck of it. I'm visiting my grandma for Christmas and all my crazy relatives are downstairs and having a good time. Haha, I love my family… Anyways, here's this chapter… Sorry, it's kind of a filler. Don't have much time to be ooberly creative when you're at a loud house filled with lots of people.**

……………………………………..….Max's POV………………………….……………

Fang and I flew North, towards the cottage. We were still probably six miles away. I was so happy to be with Fang; I didn't even care that we had left Dylan behind.

"So," I said, trying to get a conversation started, "What have you been up to these past… How many days has it been anyways?"

"Only two," he replied thoughtfully. "What distracted you enough to make you lose track of time?" He watched me skeptically.

My face turned red as I remembered being with Dylan at the cave. "Looking for you," I lied. He wouldn't know anything about Dylan's almost-kiss. And he didn't ever need to. "I was so worried, Fang. I lost track of all time worrying and looking for you." He turned away quickly and his jaw set.

We flew in silence for a while as I wondered what I said wrong. Then he turned back to me. "I should have known that you wouldn't have told me," he said coldly. I was about to ask what he meant when he whispered, "I know about you and Dylan." My face flushed furiously as I realized that he somehow knew about what happened in the cave.

"How'd you know?" I asked hoarsely. Had Fang somehow developed a new skill to read people's minds like Angel?

Fang paused. "I was there," he said, sounding strained. There was no way he could have been there. Wouldn't we have known? Wow. Good job, Max. Way to check your surroundings. We're just lucky it was Fang, and not some terrorizing new monster that ate kids in their sleep.

"Fang… If you were there… Then you've got to realize- _please_ understand that nothing happened. I swear!" I gasped desperately.

He held up his hand, telling me to stop. "I saw everything, Max. I know nothing happened. You chose me over him. I've never been happier in my life." He gave me that smile that only Fang can do. I smiled back, happy that he got the picture.

Fang's eyebrows knitted together. "Just… Just tell me, Max. If I hadn't seen you, and you… _had _kissed him……. Would you have told me?" He glanced at me sharply and held my gaze.

I smiled. "Yes. But I never would've kissed him. I'm telling you the truth. I honestly was shocked when you left after we found out. I couldn't believe that you'd take it that seriously. I mean, _really?_ Those crazy Whitecoats don't know what they're doing. For all we know, Dylan could be my cousin," I teased. He just managed a small twirk of the corner of his lips.

I'm glad we got that out of the way. Yay, no more secrets. Except for one big one: Angel's vision.

**REVIEW, you overstuffed teddy bears!!! And also, (this may sound stupid to all of you fanfiction pros) but when I upload my chapters on document manager, what does it mean when it says "life" next to each of my chapters? It's like, "chapter 1......................15 days". what the heck does that mean? ehh. help me. i am so useless without you,,,,,,,,,,**


	14. Chapter 14

AN: Thanks to Lizzaranda for clearing up the whole "story life" incident… Haha, yeah… So anyways, here's my new chappie!

………………………….…………Max's POV…….…………………………………

As soon as we landed, we were greeted by four familiar faces. "Max!" they yelled. "FANG!!!" they yelled even louder.

Fang was tackled and lost in a massive dog pile of happy children. Of course, Iggy was too cool for that kind of thing, so he hung back with me. We laughed at the struggling Fang while he glared at us.

"Good to have you back. I suck at the whole 'leader' thing," Iggy said to me.

"It's good to _be_ back," I said with a smile. "Did you find anything suspicious while we were gone?"

Iggy shook his head. "No. Not unless you count Jeb trying to be nice to us as suspicious," he said with a frown.

I turned to him, curious. "What do you mean?"

He grinned. "He tried to take us to Put-Put Palace. It was hilarious. Half the time, we 'accidentally' whacked Jeb in the back of the head with our putters and the other half we just sulked." Haha, that must have been awesome. I can just see Jeb's face getting red and the vein in his neck popping as he tried not to lose his temper.

"Sorry I missed it," I muttered. It actually would've been fun to mess with Jeb.

Speaking of the devil, Jeb came out of the cottage just then. He smiled when he saw me. I stared back, narrowing my eyes. Hey, I'm tolerating him—that doesn't mean I have to like him.

As he approached us, the younger kids got off Fang and came to stand with me and Iggy. Fang stood at my right, Iggy at my left. Angel squeezed between me and Fang and held my hand. Nudge and Gazzy moved to the left of Iggy.

_**I missed you, Max**_, Angel said in my head.

_**I missed you too, sweetie**_ I projected back to her.

_**Have you told Fang about my vision?**_ she asked unexpectedly.

I was quiet. I hadn't told him yet; it just didn't feel like a good time.

_**Good idea,**_ Angel thought. _**No need to worry him yet. But we should tell him soon, Max. He needs to know.**_

I sighed. I really didn't want to think about that right now. It just felt good to be with my flock again. I wanted to enjoy it and live in it always and never have to face the truth. Too bad my life wasn't like that. I had to deal with everything or else it would come back and hit me in my face when I least expected it. We couldn't let that happen with Fang.

"Well, Max, I'm glad you made it back safely," Jeb said, bringing me out of my trance. He didn't greet or even _acknowledge_ Fang.

"Yeah, good to see you too, Jeb," Fang mumbled. Jeb ignored him.

"I suspect Dylan is close by?" he asked. He shaded his eyes with his hand and peered at the sky, as if expecting Dylan to appear.

"Actually, I don't really know where he is," I admitted.

Jeb froze and lowered his hand slowly. He turned to face me. "What?" he whispered. He looked like his eyes were going to pop right out of his head.

"I don't know where he is," I repeated slowly.

"How did you manage to do that?" he bellowed. I tried to hold back my smile.

"I kind of ditched him."

"That's very irresponsible, Maximum."

"What's it to ya?" I asked, knowing it would bug him to death.

"He was my son!"

"He was your experiment."

Jeb opened his mouth to argue back, but not a sound came out. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as I've seen him do many times when he gets frustrated.

"When was the last time you saw him?" he asked calmly with his eyes still closed.

"Yesterday night."

"Where did you leave him?"

I shrugged. "Some cave. He'll know how to get back here."

"And he was fine when you left him? No injuries?" Jeb asked. Fang winced, drawing Jeb's attention. "What?" he asked Fang.

Fang looked away, ignoring the question. Angel gasped, obviously reading his mind.

"What? What's going on?" I said, turning to Fang.

Fang looked down at the ground, not answering.

"Fang beat up Dylan and told him to stay away from Max!" Angel blurted. My jaw dropped along with most everyone else's.

"Tattle tale," Fang grumbled.

Review. Review. Review, review, review! =)


	15. Chapter 15

**AN: New chapter!!! To all my loving fans.**

………………………………………Max's POV…………………………………………

I groaned internally. "What'd you do to him, Fang?" I asked, trying to sound bored.

Fang shrugged.

I set my jaw and stepped in front of Fang, forcing him to look me in the eye. "What did you do to him?" I asked again trying to make my voice sound cold. I was good at that.

"I punched him, breaking his nose. Then he tried to hit me, so I kicked his legs out from under him. After that, I told him to…. Stay away from Max," he grumbled.

"What? You don't think I can take care of myself?" I asked in astonishment. Actually, I kind of thought it was cute that Fang got jealous.

He shrugged again. How frustrating.

I turned back to Jeb. "See? No need to be worried. He can still fly with a broken nose."

Jeb looked mad. He glared at Fang while answering me. "He won't come back," he said in a low voice.

I rolled my eyes. "Sure he will. It's not like he'll continue to look for Fang without me. I doubt he really cares enough to--"

"He won't come back," Jeb repeated, cutting me off.

I crossed my arms eyeing him suspiciously. What was he getting at? I pursed my lips. "Why not?" I asked.

Jeb didn't answer. He continued to glare at Fang who returned it with a smirk.

"Because Fang told him to stay away from you," Angel said simply.

I snorted. "Yeah right!" I laughed and looked around at the flock who were watching me seriously. My giggles died as I saw that no one else seemed to think this was funny.

"Wait—Are you serious?" I asked in disbelief.

"I don't think we need to worry about him," Nudge said casually. "If he really loved Max, he wouldn't be able to stay away from her."

Fang shook his head. "If he thought it would be best for her, he would stay away from her even if it hurt him to do so." That shocked us all. We thought that Fang was the really un-emotional type. Guess not.

"Blech!" Gazzy said unexpectedly. "I can't take all this icky lovey dovey stuff! Cooties!" We all laughed and Fang and I blushed furiously.

"Well, let's go inside. We can't do anything about Dylan right now. I'm sure you two must be hungry after two days," Jeb said ushering us inside.

Angel took my hand again and Gazzy grabbed my belt loop. I ruffled his hair and put my arm around him. Nudge, Iggy, and Fang walked in before us.

As we walked in, Jeb stayed behind. I saw him eye the sky sadly and walk into the cottage after us.


	16. Chapter 16

AN: Okay, thanks for the reviews again. I thought this story was gonna get like four reviews. So here is my chapter!

…………………………………………Fang's POV………………………………………

We came in and sat down in the small quaint living room. It was pretty plain, with only a small TV that was really old, a really fluffy couch, and a few wicker chairs. We could barely all fit in that claustrophobic little room. Usually we didn't like rooms like that, but there was a big window that kept us calm.

Me, Nudge, and Iggy plopped down on the couch while Max, Angel, and Gazzy sat in the wicker chairs that were spread around the room. Jeb stood awkwardly in the doorway, not sure whether to join us or leave us alone.

"Turn on the TV," Gazzy said in a bored tone. I stood up and turned the knob.

The screen crackled to life, showing a fuzzy screen at first, but quickly picking up the news channel.

"Good morning, England. Thanks for tuning in to the morning news of Channel 14," a middle aged man said in a heavy British accent. He was leaning toward the camera with a big fake smile plastered on his face. He stacked the papers in front of him and took a deep breath. "Let's start today off with the headline, shall we, Candy?"

The screen switched to a snobby looking woman with an up-tight hairdo and expensive pearls resting on her neck and earlobes. She seemed to be sitting in front of a patriotic backdrop. "Good morning Scott," the woman said in a nasal tone. "Today's headline is very shocking. The news media recently discovered that Queen Elizabeth invited six children with _wings_ to come visit her."

"Ohh!" Nudge squealed. "She's talking about us!"

"Shhh!" we all said at the same time. We leaned in closer to the TV, anxiously awaiting her next words.

"These children showed up out of nowhere in New York City not too long ago, instantly attracting everyone's attention." Pictures from the restaurant in New York flashed across the screen as the newswoman kept talking. "They were seen flying other times, but still remained a mystery. Finally, they joined a group of scientists who helped them start their very own air shows for a short time. They agreed to come to England this week to see Queen Elizabeth herself. The question now, is whether they will show up." Candy finished with a smile that made her look like the Grinch.

The screen changed back to the main newsroom, where Scott was sitting smiling into the camera. "Thank you, Candy. We hope that those bird kids have a safe _flight_," he said, laughing at his own joke. I saw Max scowling at the screen.

Just then, the screen went fuzzy again. The room was now buzzing with conversation.

"We can't keep our fans waiting!" Gazzy said. Max rolled her eyes, but didn't say anything.

"So… Can we go?" Nudge asked, giving Max the bambi eyes.

Max pursed her lips. I could see that she didn't want to be swarmed with cameras and microphones any more than I did. She sighed. "That's why we came all the way out here, isn't it?"

The younger kids erupted in cheers as Max, Iggy, and I kept quiet. We exchanged pained looks as we tried to look happy.

Jeb hadn't said anything this whole time. He was staring out the window thoughtfully. He squinted. Then his eyes got wide and his face lit up in a big smile. I walked over to where he was and looked out the window.

Sure enough, there was Dylan. I immediately tensed up as if readying for a fight. He came back. For Max. This was not going to be good.

As he got closer, we could see the expression on his face. It was horror stricken (and faintly bloody, I might add, from where the blood from his nose had dried).

Jeb rushed out to meet him. The flock watched him leave with curiosity and joined me at the window to see what was going on.

Max stood beside me and I watched her expression as she saw Dylan. Her expression was unreadable, which drove me crazy. She looked up at me and smiled.

"Nothing to worry about," she whispered so that only I could hear. I smiled back.

I swooped down and kissed her unexpectedly. She jumped at first, but quickly adjusted. We held each other for a while. I had forgotten how long it had been since I last kissed her. I pulled her tighter around the waist.

The flock started protesting.

"Yuck! Stop! Stop! For the love of all things merciful, STOP!" Gazzy exclaimed covering his eyes and dropping to the ground as if he had just witnessed a brutal torturing.

Max and I broke apart, laughing. "It's okay, Gazzy. It's over," Max said. She plied his hands away from his eyes and ruffled his hair.

"You guys are so cute," Angel and Nudge said together.

We all started laughing, just as Dylan walked in.

**AN: Sorry about the cliffy, but don't worry. I'm going to have A LOT of time tomorrow to make a nice big, fat, chapter. So… REVIEW and it'll be up sooner.**


	17. Chapter 17

AN: Hey guys, a lot of you have been telling me that I have to kill Dylan and Fax is better than Mylan and bla bla bla. Well to tell you the truth, I'm a pretty big Fax fan myself. Trust me. So don't fret, even if I make Max and Dylan get married… Wait, what??? I've said too much! Haha, just kidding… (Awkward silence)…. New chapter! Yay! :P

….…………Dylan's POV (Ooh, you weren't ready for that, were ya?)…………………..

As I turned the corner, their laughter died down. I looked around at all of their smiling faces and wondered what could have put them in such a good mood. I decided not to ask.

"We need to leave," I said without hesitation.

They just stared at me. "What do you mean?" Max asked suspiciously.

I avoided her eyes as I replied. "Something's coming after us."

Angel's eyes widened and Gazzy gulped. But none of them screamed or even gasped; they were used to being chased.

"What's after us?" Iggy asked, trying to keep his voice from shaking.

I looked them all in the eye (except for Max) seriously. They needed to understand the danger. "Itex's new creations. Jeb told me about when you three were captured," I said nodding to Angel and Nudge (not to Max), "and met Omega and the cat-like people. Well, they've fixed all of their flaws. Now they're coming after all of us," I finished darkly.

Fang stepped forward and narrowed his eyes at me. He was still mad at me for trying to kiss Max. How could I help it? Max and I were perfect for each other and I was better for her. I really did feel bad for poor Fang; I knew what he was losing. But what he didn't know was how much I loved Max. I would never give up on her now.

"How do you know all of this?" Fang asked.

I opened my mouth, not sure if I could tell them without being criticized severely. I decided to keep it to myself.

Just as I was thinking of a good response, Angel let the cat out of the bag. "Dylan has visions of when Max might be in trouble." She smiled at me innocently and I stared back, dubiously.

"OMG, is that because he's Max's perfect half? That is so cool—but kind of creepy when you think about it. Have you always been able to do that or only just recently? Did you see Max when she was fighting Ari? Or when she was fighting Omega? Or when the Uber director captured us? Or when we almost sank in the submarine? Or when—Oomph!" Nudge ended finally when Iggy clamped his hand over her mouth.

"I've only seen them five times in my life. The first time was when she had her first brain attack from 'the Voice' as I think she calls it. The second was when the Eraser Max kidnapped her. I saw her when she was shot out of the sky by 'M-Geeks' and I saw her three days ago when she was almost shot out of the sky again. I saw another vision, just now with the new creations coming here and killing all of us," I admitted. I forced myself to look at Max. She looked shocked, not mad. I looked at Fang. He looked mad, not shocked.

Everyone was quiet. "So… We should go now," I implied.

Fang and Max looked at each other just for a brief moment, then Max turned to me and said, "Alright. We'll come. Where to?"

I smiled smugly. "Africa."

**Yay! Africa! Haha… ha… REVIEW!**


	18. Chapter 18

**AN: Hey guys, sorry I haven't updated in a a while, but before you go off accusing me, just know that I was in the hospital with what we thought was appendicitis. I had my laptop with me, but I couldn't use it for two reasons. 1) I wasn't allowed to eat, so I was exhausted! 2) My veins are all pretty flat, so the nurse had to put an IV in my hand, so every time I flexed my left hand, it moved the little needle tube thingy. Yeah, so this chapter might still be a really short, because I'm really tired.**

………………………………………….Max's POV……………………………………...

"What's in Africa?" I asked out of curiosity.

Dylan grinned even wider. "You'll see," he replied slyly.

I shook my head in incredulity. "You are the most mystifying person I know." He just winked at me, which made go Fang uneasy at my side.

We walked outside and got ready to take off.

…………………………………………Angel's POV……………………………………..

As the rest of the flock ran outside, I remained quietly in the living room. I watched Dylan walk out after Max. He was like a little duckling afraid to stray to far from its mother. I giggled as I imagined Dylan with a beak and wings, strutting around quacking.

Then I shook my head, trying to stay focused. _**Dylan. I would like to talk to you for a minute.**_ I projected into Dylan's mind. I could feel his mind racing with questions; he was smarter than he put off.

He slipped back into the cottage without anyone noticing. When he came into the living room, he stopped only a foot in, eyeing me suspiciously.

I watched him for a small moment before I started. I think Dylan didn't know about my mind reading, because I could read his shocked thoughts.

"I can read minds," I confirmed. Dylan looked confused, as if he thought I invited him in here just to tell him that. "So I heard what you thought about Max when you came in here earlier."

Dylan's eyes widened, but he tried to keep his cool. "What did you hear?" he asked. He didn't even try to deny me.

"I heard that you were going to keep trying to get Max. And that you loved her a lot." I said simply. It was a lot more complex than that, but I wanted to get to the point.

Dylan didn't say anything. He just watched me cautiously, wondering what I would do next.

"Fang loves Max. He has always loved her. If you take Max away from him, he will leave us forever. I heard his thoughts, too, and that's what he plans to do. Even if Max _does_ fall for you, which she won't, she wouldn't be able to stand Fang leaving. He's not only her boyfriend- he's her _best_ friend. And he means a lot to the rest of us, too. Max and Fang are like our mom and dad. You can't take Max away from him. Max and Fang are inseparable. So give up."

Dylan was hurting. He didn't show it on the outside, but I could hear it in his thoughts. I felt kind of bad for ruining his dreams, but someone had to pull him back into reality.

Dylan left the room without a word. I sighed and stood up to follow.

**Review. =]**


	19. Chapter 19

**AN: Sorry about not updating in a while. I kind of got writer's block. And I'm also VERY busy right now. Church, volleyball, school clubs, and of course the never ending school. Anyways, today my school got out for snow! Yay! Yep yep!**

……………………………………….Max's POV………………………………………

One by one, we took off. I stood back and watched Fang, Iggy, Gazzy, Nudge, and Total as they gained altitude in the sky. But where was Angel? And where was Dylan? Just then, Dylan came storming out of the cottage, with a strained expression scrawled across his face.

Jeb rushed over to him. "Dylan, please. Don't go. I promise you that you all will be safe here. You're like a son to me…" Dylan pushed past him without making eye contact.

He jumped and unfurled his sandy wings. I followed him, grabbing his ankle softly. "Hey, is everything okay?" I asked quietly.

"Angel's fine. She's just inside," he replied coldly.

"I meant you," I tried to say sympathetically.

Dylan's eyes hardened as he looked at me, but I could see a little bit of sadness hidden beneath them. "I'm fine." Then he broke away from my grasp and picked up speed as he tried to catch up with the flock. What was his deal? I didn't know how I felt about him. Did I trust him? Did I consider him a friend? I wasn't sure. I realized that there was too much going on between us for us to be friends. I felt my heart sink. Dylan was really nice and he was funny and he was just really cool. It would have been nice to be friends with him. But the stupid Whitecoats couldn't let me have any new friends, now could they? No, that would be too much trouble. Instead, I needed a new boyfriend. Yeah, that's not complicated at _all_.

I hovered where I was and watched him for a moment in bemusement before landing again to go find Angel.

As I skidded to a halt, Angel came skipping out of the cottage. "Hi, Max. Ready to go?" she asked sweetly.

"Of course. Hey… Do you know what's up with Dylan?" I tried to put out casually. I don't think it worked. You can't really hide anything from a mind reader.

Angel looked up at me with the cutest little puzzled face I've ever seen. "No. What do you mean?" I had a feeling that she already knew.

"I don't really know… He just seemed kind of mad…" I pondered.

Angel shrugged. "Maybe he doesn't love you anymore," she said simply. And with that, she spread her pure white wings. "Ready to go?" she asked again.

I was still stuck on that last thing she said. Could it be true? Not that I cared, or anything. "Umm… Yeah… We better catch up…" I stuttered.

So we jumped up and pushed down our wings as hard as we could. Then we brought them up again and pushed them down again until it became a steady pace and we were high in the air.

Once we got closer, I could already hear Nudge's groaning. "But what about the Queen?" she was saying. "She wanted to meet us! We can't keep the Queen of England waiting! That's so rude!"

I could tell that everyone else was tired of hearing her babbling, so I came up behind them and said to Nudge, "I know. We were all looking forward to meeting her. But it wouldn't be good to lead Omega and those freaky cat people straight into Buckingham Palace. I think we would practically give the Queen a heart attack." Everyone laughed except for Nudge. She just pouted.

"So are we really gonna fly all the way to Africa? That sure would take a long time," Iggy pointed out.

"I don't know," I admitted truthfully. "Dylan? What do you think we should do? It was your idea to go to Africa in the first place." Yeah, I was being kind of insensitive. I wanted to let him know that two could play at the grumpy game.

"No," Dylan said. "We should go to an airport. We can get a flight from the Travelodge London City Airport to Flughafen Munchen Airport in Germany. From there, we can go Malta International Airport. Then, we can get to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Kenya. I'm sure we can use our own wings to get to our location after that."

We all stared at Dylan with our jaws hanging open. He didn't seem to notice. He was looking off thoughtfully in the distance.

"Well you seem to know a lot about this considering we just decided we were leaving a couple of hours ago," Fang pointed out.

Dylan looked uncomfortable. "Someone… told me."

I raised my eyebrows. The only person Dylan had talked to since we were in the forest was Jeb. But Jeb had asked Dylan to stay, so he wouldn't have told him how to get to Africa. Besides Jeb, Dylan hadn't talked to anyone…. Had he?

"Who told you?" I whispered.

No answer.

_**That's not important, Max,**_ the Voice echoed in my head. _**It only matters that you and the flock go with Dylan.**_

"Who told you, Dylan?" I said louder and a bit harsher.

"I…. have a…. voice… kind of inside my head…" Dylan admitted with difficulty.

I was just about ready to drop out of the sky.

**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!!! I think I deserve it! I had to look up all of those freakin' airports!!!**


	20. Chapter 20

**AN: Thanks for the reviews!!! Oh, and by the way, I believe that one of my reviewers, Lizzaranda, said that she thought that the Voice was Jeb. Well, in the fourth MR book, it does tell that the Voice can sometimes be Jeb, but he's not the only one that can do it. Yep. Hey, if you have a question about my story, don't be afraid to ask! And also, thanks for your concerns, kelc. I'm feeling a lot better! So… uhh… Read.**

……………………………………….Fang's POV…………...……………………………

"You've got to be kidding me!" I growled. Dylan rolled his eyes.

"Is it like Max's Voice?" Nudge asked.

Dylan shrugged. "I don't know what Max's Voice is like."

Max pursed her lips. "Let me sum the Voice up for ya – annoying, bossy, frustrating, nagging, secretive, painful, brain-hacking." You could say that again. The Voice had driven Max to where she almost bled to death trying to cut her stupid chip out. I shivered just thinking about it. She was positive that the chip was the source of the Voice, but she was wrong. Even after the chip was gone, the Voice was still there.

Dylan nodded. "Yeah, that sounds about right. It told me that I had to take you all to Africa. When I told it that I didn't know how to get there, it gave me the names of the airports." Oh, how convenient.

Max groaned. "I hate being packed on airplanes." We all did, but it mostly affected Max, Iggy, and me.

"It'll be fine," Dylan tried to say reassuringly. Hmm. Looks like the Whitecoats forgot to program into their perfect little Dylan. Max hates it when people try to reassure her. I looked at her. Her mouth was turned down in a frown.

"Have _you_ ever been in a plane?" I directed at Dylan.

He flinched. "No."

I didn't say anything. I just smiled smugly to myself. Max was trying to hold in a laugh.

I wanted to tell her to laugh while she can, since we'll be the most distressed people on Earth for the next few days of plane travel. I sighed.

**AN: Yeah, I know, this is the shortest chapter ever. I don't even think it should count as a chapter. I stopped it short because I don't think I'll be writing the plane travel. I'm kind of running out of time to write this since the ****real**** sixth book will be coming out in March (SQUEAL!). So I'm gonna try to write more frequently and get this story finished up. It'll probably be finished the last few days of February or the first few days of March.**


	21. Chapter 21

AN: Okay! Here we go!

……………………………………….Max's POV………………………………………...

As soon as the plane door opened, I flung myself outside and rose in the air very ungracefully. God, it felt so good to feel the sunshine on my back. I closed my eyes and just drifted with the currents of the wind.

Our first flight went pretty well. I didn't like it still, but there was enough room and I had a window seat, which made me feel better.

The second flight? Not so great. We were in a smaller airplane and the trip took longer. Total had gotten sick from some bad shrimp on the first flight and insisted on having a window seat. No one would give there's up, so of course I had to.

And the third flight was just plain torture. The plane was even _smaller_ and there wasn't enough room for Total. He shouldn't have even been on the flight since pets weren't allowed, but Angel fixed that quickly. Anyways, he didn't have a seat so he sprawled himself across my lap and threw up in a paper bag the whole trip. It was absolutely _disgusting._ Not to mention the strange man I was sitting next to. He kept asking me the same question, but in a different language that I didn't understand. Angel told me that he was speaking Norwegian and that he was asking me where his yellow ukulele was. I mean, did they even _have_ ukuleles in Norway? Yeah, so he kept pestering me about it. Don't forget that this whole time I was _already_ stressed out from just _being in_ the stupid claustrophobic plane.

I squeezed the bad memories out of my mind and took a deep breath.

_**Time to get it together, Max,**_ the Voice pestered me. _**You're the leader.**_

Even though I hated to admit it, the Voice was right. I'm in charge. I needed to take care of my flock before myself.

I banked and headed back to the extremely small airport. I saw the flock looking up at me.

I tried to look in control as I landed and skidded to a halt in front of them.

I clapped my hands and rubbed them together, looking everyone in the eye with a smile. "Okay, so we're here. What first? Do we want to get something to eat?" Everyone nodded excitedly.

"Alright, then! Let's go!" I said while ushering them all along the pathway to the airport.

We walked in to the tiny airport and looked for some kind of food court. The best thing we could find was a small stand with hotdogs and hamburgers.

I smiled at the man and asked for fourteen hotdogs and fourteen hamburgers – two hotdogs for each of us and two hamburgers for each of us – except for Nudge who just got three giant pretzels since she's a vegetarian. He looked at us funny, but gave us what we asked for.

We all migrated to an undersized picnic table and sat down to dig into our food.

As we were eating, a young girl walked up to us. She looked like she was a local – she was very dark and very skinny. She was probably a year or two older than Angel and she had big eyes filled with understanding and wisdom.

She walked straight up to me and looked me straight in the eye. I set down my hamburger and stood up. I exchanged looks with Fang. I could tell that he was just as curious as I was.

_Maybe she just wants some of our food_, I tried to convince myself. _She _is _skinny…_

But I was still cautious. If I knew anything, it's that you can't trust everyone. The people that were closest to you could turn around and stab you right between the wings when you're not looking.

I drew my attention back to the girl. "Yes?" I asked.

"The sky will fall," she thundered in a husky voice.

I cocked my head. What the crap was _that?_

Before I could ask her what she meant, she was gone. She had taken off towards the exit.

"Follow her!" I yelled at the flock, still sitting down.

I ran after the girl as I heard the flock jumping up behind me.

We dodged people and suitcases and karts while trying to keep the girl in sight. We had to stop for a moment as a security guard walked up to us.

"What's going on here?" he grumbled.

"Nothing," Angel said in a kind of creepy voice. "We aren't doing anything wrong." The man got a glazed look in his eye for a millisecond.

"Wha?" he gurgled in confusion.

We quickly leapt past him and busted outside, looking around frantically.

She was gone.

**REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please? And also, if you have any ideas for how the sky will fall... it would be fairly appreciated!**


	22. Chapter 22

**AN: Sorry about the whole "the sky is falling!" thing, but that's what it says in the summary. I'd chose something different, but hey – I'm not the real MR author. Blech. So yeah.**

………………………………………Max's POV…………………………………………

"What? What happened? Where is she?" Iggy asked, obviously frustrated that he didn't know what was going on.

"She's gone," Nudge whispered.

I gritted my teeth. I wasn't liking this one bit. "Well guys, there's no point in just standing here. I suggest that we get as far away from here as possible."

Dylan nodded. "Yeah, we should get a move on."

"Where are we going exactly?" Fang asked skeptically.

Dylan smiled wider than I have ever seen him smile before. "My sister's house," he said excitedly.

I raised my eyebrows. "Well. Alright, then."

………………………………………Fang's POV……………….………………………

We flew far south of Kenya and let me tell ya – it was scorching hot! Especially for a guy who wears all black.

Eventually we took a southwest direction and ended up at a huge mansion in the middle of an arid, empty prairie. It was completely white and had many mirrors (thank God).

As soon as we landed, Dylan started running toward the door. I saw a small face peep out one of the upstairs windows. It quickly disappeared and soon the door flew open and a small girl that looked fairly similar to Dylan rushed out with her arms spread apart.

"DYLAN!!!" she yelled as he picked her up and spun her around in a hug. I saw Max smiling slightly. I have to admit, it was pretty sweet.

We kind of hung back awkwardly and tried to look friendly. Once the little girl noticed us, she walked straight up to Max.

She looked Max up and down silently, thoughtfully. I wondered what she was thinking… Then her eyes got big and she turned to look at Dylan. He was trying not to smile. The little girl looked back at Max and squealed. "You're Max, aren't you?" she asked in a trill voice. Max looked shocked, but she nodded. Wait – how did she know that?

The girl jumped up and down and clapped her hands. "My name is Danielle, but everyone just calls me Danny," she said while twirling her curly hair between her fingers.

"Uhh… Hi, Danny. I'm Max… which I guess you already know… and this is Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy, Angel, Fang, and Total," Max explained while pointing out everyone in the flock.

Danielle nodded at us and turned her attention back to Max. "I'm glad you're here," she said sweetly.

Max smiled uncomfortably. "We're glad to be here, too," she lied.

Danielle stepped back and held Dylan's hand. "I was wondering when you were going to come back and visit," she sang out. "I was getting lonely."

I frowned. "Don't you live with someone?"

Danielle shook her head. "I've lived by myself for about three years now," she giggled.

Max and I exchanged looks. She was just a little girl…. Wasn't she?

"How old are you?" Max inquired.

"Six," Danny said simply with a smile. She's been living alone since she was _three?_

"Don't you ever worry about her safety?" Nudge directed at Dylan.

He shrugged. "She's perfectly capable of taking care of herself," he retorted. Awkward silence.

Danielle cleared her throat quietly. "Please, let me show you to your rooms!" she chimed happily.

She took Max's hand and skipped into the house with the rest of the hesitant flock following cautiously behind.

As we walked into the huge manor, I thought loudly (if that even makes sense) so that Angel would hear what I was thinking.

_What have you picked up from Danielle?_ I thought to her.

_She has the mind of a six-year old, but I can sense that there's more to it…_ she replied.

_Nothing evil?_ I asked. You could never be too sure.

_No…But she really does seem happy that we're here. She was really lonely. She likes Max a lot. She knew who she was just by looking at her…I heard her think "Dylan finally found her," but I don't know what that really means._

I kept silent. Somehow, Dylan's sister must know about the "perfect other half" thing.

**R+E+V+I+E+W=REVIEW. REVIEW+REVIEW=HAPPINESS there's a little math for ya'.**


	23. Chapter 23

**AN: Sorry it took so long... I kind of forgot about Fang's... problem... Anyways, time for another chapter!!!**

………………………………………Fang's POV…………………………………………

So Danielle showed us to our rooms. We were expecting, you know, Iggy, Gazzy, and I to share a room (or maybe Gazzy get his own room for… his own reasons) and Max, Nudge, and Angel to share one.

Nope. We all got _our own rooms_. We've never had our own rooms before! I guess it was pretty cool, but it was actually kind of weird. Empty. Quiet.

I didn't like it one bit. I decided to go talk to Max. I got up, stretched, and made my way into the hallway.

As I walked up and leaned against the door frame, I heard whispering voices inside. My fist paused an inch away from knocking on the door.

Was Dylan in there? I cleared the thought from my mind, knowing it would lead to unpleasant thoughts. I leaned in, just to make sure.

"Angel, I just can't deal with this right now," Max pleaded in a small voice. Good, it was just Angel. But what were they talking about?

"We have to tell him sooner or later!" Angel hissed. Tell who what?

"Well I choose later," Max whispered stubbornly.

I heard Angel sigh softly. "Max, we can't just put this off. Fang has a right to know what's going on. You know that." So they were talking about me. That still left one question unanswered…

I heard a thump and knew that Max had plopped down on the bed in frustration. "I can't." Her voice sounded muffled like she had her face buried in a pillow. I knew that she hated feeling confused and vulnerable. This must be pretty serious if it had gotten Max upset. I wanted to go in there and comfort her, but I was still curious as to what they were keeping from me.

"You have to," Angel said a little louder.

"I can't, okay?" Max huffed. "You don't just go up to people you're close to and inform them that they're probably gonna freaking _die!_"

I completely didn't catch that. Did she just say _die?_ Maybe I didn't hear right. It is a pretty thick door…

"It's okay, Max," Angel whispered. "You don't have to tell him anymore. I knew that you wouldn't anyways."

"What?" Max responded, just as confused as I was.

"I knew you wouldn't tell him, so I came in here when I knew Fang was coming. He's been listening this whole time. You practically just told him," Angel explained sympathetically.

Uh-oh.

The bed creaked as I heard Max jump up. I reacted quickly and backed away from the door, trying to run back to my room before Max could catch me.

The door to Max's room swung open.

"Fang," she croaked. I couldn't look at her. I opened the window quickly and threw myself out. She didn't try to stop me.

**AN: Please review! Give me opinions!!! Seriously, they really help!**


	24. Chapter 24

**AN: Yup yup. Heeeeeeeeere's chapter 24!**

…………………………………..…….Max's POV………………………...……………..

"Angel!" I moaned. She walked up beside me quietly.

"Yes?" she said in an innocent voice.

"This is why I didn't want to tell him," I choked. "He's probably mad at me now for not telling him sooner and he's probably gonna fly really far away like he did last time and what if Dylan tries to make a move on me while Fang is gone and—"

"MAX!" Angel cried, covering her ears dramatically.

I clamped my mouth shut and took a deep breath through my nose.

"He's not mad at you," Angel tried to reassure me. "He's just confused. He didn't want to deal with all of this right now. He'll come back." I rolled my eyes. "Really, he will. I promise." She hugged me around the waist and then skipped to her room.

I stood there for a second. What should I do now? Obviously, I needed to do something to distract me from Fang. I couldn't go chasing after him like last time—he'd probably get mad because he wants to be alone.

I decided to go be with the flock. I slumped downstairs and plopped myself down on the couch next to Nudge. She was looking through catalogs and magazines while Dylan, Iggy, and Gazzy were playing World of Warcraft on the X-box. (Don't ask me how a blind dude can play X-box and kick some serious butt because I'm still trying to figure that one out myself.) Danny was in the kitchen making dinner – a task that I thought was impossible for a six year old.

No one seemed to notice my foul mood, which I guess was a good thing, but it also made me feel invisible. I decided that I needed to tell them all about Fang.

"Fang left for a while," I blurted.

Everyone stopped what they were doing to stare at me with confused faces leaving the room filled with nothing but the awkward humming of the CD disk spinning in the game system.

"Why?" Nudge asked. Wow, that was probably the shortest response she has ever had to big news like this.

"He found out about Angel's vision," I said unemotionally.

Everyone took a moment to think this over, then Iggy asked, "How long will he be gone?"

I just shrugged, which I'm sure made everyone feel _much_ better.

Dylan eyed me cautiously. "Should we… go after him?" He sounded uncomfortable.

I shook my head. "No, he probably wants to be alone right now," I confirmed. I could hear the disappointment in my own voice. I missed him already.

"Well then… what should we do?" Gazzy asked unsurely.

We all sat in silence, looking for an answer to Gazzy's question.

_Ding! _

We all jumped at the sound of the oven's timer going off.

"Dinner is ready!" Danny's sweet voice trilled from the kitchen.

Just like that, Fang was forgotten.

Dylan, Iggy, and Gazzy jumped up from the couch, throwing their controllers on the floor. Nudge dog-eared her page and scattered around the couch, following the sweet smell of homemade chicken pot pie. Angel and Total bounded down the stairs, practically licking their lips.

At any other time, I probably would have laughed at them, acting like a pack of hungry hyenas, but not today.

I watched them push and shove there way through the door and settle down at the kitchen table. Danny danced across the kitchen, passing out bowls and fork and napkins.

Chatter filled the air as they all dug into their food. They looked so happy.

With a tear, I wondered if they would move on this fast once Fang was gone.

Was I the only one that missed him?

**_Review _(verb) 1. a very wonderful way to make a very impatient fanfiction author incredibly happy.**


	25. Chapter 25

**AN: Reviews were awesome! They made me happy!**

…………………………………………Max's POV………………………………………

Two days had gone by since Fang had left. I felt completely alone, even with the rest of the flock all around me.

I hadn't been myself lately. Everyone noticed that I was down, and kept trying to make me feel better. Angel and Danielle invited me to their tea party, Gazzy and Iggy asked me to join them in their Halo alliance, Nudge offered to give me a make over (which I politely declined.)

They all seemed a bit down, too, but they kept on living. They all seemed to be having fun in Danny's house; she had many things to keep them entertained. Angel loved playing in Danny's dollhouse, Nudge went crazy with the bedazzler and used Danny's sewing machine to make her own stylish clothes. (She made me many fitted, mini skirts which were lined in rhinestones. I pretended to like them, knowing I would burn them later.) Gazzy was having a blast with Dylan's old skateboard, flipping and twisting and… crashing. Dylan was teaching Iggy how to read by teaching him how to sense the black ink on the pages and recognizing what shapes were what letters. (It sounds complicated, but it was cool to see Iggy's face light up when he could put all of the letters together to make a word.) Dylan has been pretty quiet. He was just being a good host, you know, walking around and helping everyone when he could. He'd kind of been avoiding me, but I'm sure it was nothing. And Total was… Well, being Total. You know, the usual. He's been writing his novel. (Oh, didn't I tell you? No? Well, he's writing _The Under Appreciated Life of a Talking Winged Dog_.)

After dinner, I quietly dismissed myself from the group. I got many worried looks since it was only seven, but I dismissed them, stating that I was tired. I was—I hadn't slept since Fang had left—but that's not why I went upstairs. I just wanted to be alone.

As I slugged up the stairs, I wondered what Danny had been doing for three years by herself. Obviously, she must not be a normal six year old. Was she another Itex experiment? If so, why would they let her live alone?

I opened my door and let myself face plant onto my bed. I just wanted to sit there and think about nothing.

* * *

I slowly turned my head and squinted at the glowing green digital clock that was sitting on my bedside table. It read 11:47.

I frowned. Had I really been lying there for that long? Well my plan had worked. I didn't think about anything for about five hours. A new record for me! I usually can't shut my brain down.

I flipped over onto my back and stared out the window. Maybe if I stared long enough, I would see Fang flying back to me….

_Creak!_

I jumped up from my bed and spun to face the door. My heart was beating fast. "Fang?" I whispered hopefully.

Dylan peeped his head around the barely opened door. "Sorry to disappoint," he said with a sad smile.

I slowly lowered myself back on the bed, sitting stiffly and quietly. "No, it's okay. If I stared at a coat hanger long enough, I would convince myself it was Fang," I sighed truthfully.

He chuckled and sat down in the desk chair across from me. "I'm sorry he left like that," he said.

I shrugged. "What would you do if you found out that you were going to die?" I countered.

Dylan looked me right in the eye, shocking me by the seriousness in his expression. "I would be with the people I cared about the most if I knew that I might not have much more time to spend with them."

Stupid Dylan and his stupid answers that make Fang look like the bad guy and make me feel guilty for liking him….

"Well, I'm sure he just… needed time to… gather his… thoughts… or something," I mumbled, unsure of where this conversation was leading.

Awkward silence.

After a few nervous glances, he decided to come clean with what was on his mind. "I know you don't… want to be with me… but maybe if you could just give me a chance…" he stuttered, while staring at the floor and knitting his eyebrows together as if he was in pain.

I caught my breath. This could _not_ be happening. Not now, while Fang wasn't here.

"I really do care about you," he choked out. "I know I must seem like a creep, because I've been pursuing you ever since I've met you, but it's not like that… for me at least. I feel like I've known you forever, like I know we were meant to be together. I know you feel _something _for me. Please, tell me you feel _something_." He was practically begging me with his silver eyes boring into mine.

I had to hold myself together. Show no emotion. Turn him down cold.

I knew that I was a very convincing liar. I hardened my face and locked up all feelings deep inside me. I kept running through my mind that I loved Fang.

Dylan's face grew dark as he read my expression.

"I'm sorry," I responded coldly.

Dylan looked utterly disheartened. I felt really terrible for being that inconsiderate, but it had to be done. I couldn't lead him on any longer.

We sat in silence for what felt like a long time. I was forced to watch Dylan recover from my harsh words. It was painful. I knew full well the force of rejection and I felt awful for putting Dylan through the same thing.

I sighed and stared down at my hands. Fang _really _needed to come back now. Things were getting way out of hand.

As I tried to avoid Dylan's eyes, I glanced out the window. Curiously, I saw two dark figures approaching the house. I straightened up and tried to make them out.

"MAX!" Nudge yelled from downstairs.

**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!!!!!!!**


	26. Chapter 26

**AN: Well! Howdy! I'm glad that so many of you liked my last chapter! I'm really sorry for not updating very often... What can I say? Life is hectic! So... read, I guess.**

……………………………………...Max's POV…………………………...……………..

I glanced at Dylan and he nodded. We both sprinted downstairs to see the flock peeping out the window.

"Someone's coming," Danny whispered. She sounded like she was readying herself for a fight rather than being scared. Looks like she was another tough trooper.

"It looks like _two _people, actually," Gazzy corrected.

Time to take charge. "All of you get upstairs and be quiet. Iggy—you stay down here with me. Angel—you be listening to my thoughts so that you know what to do if something happens. Gazzy… put like… a bomb together or something--" he punched the air with his fist and jumped up in excitement. "BUT," I continued. "Only use it if I tell you to or if worst comes to worst."

We stacked our fists and parted. Iggy and I got down and I checked out the window again. The figures were closer.

"Ready?" I asked Iggy. He was smiling.

"I always wondered what it would be like if I was second in command. Man, Fang gets _all_ of the action!" he fake complained.

"I'm rolling my eyes, Iggy," I said with a sigh.

We were snickering silently when we heard a quiet tap on the door. Hmm, usually enemies didn't just knock. They usually just broke down the door and barged in or if they were feeling _really_ inconsiderate, they would just blow up the house.

Another knock.

"Do we answer?" Iggy mouthed to me.

I bit my lip. "Who's there?" I asked in a very shrill little-girl voice. Iggy smiled slightly.

"Oh, just stopping by for a visit, Max. This is my house, after all," a deep cheerful voice responded.

I frowned. What did he mean by "his house"? How did he know my name? I decided to go to the door.

I tapped the back of Iggy's hand three times, and he knew that I was going to open the door.

_**Angel, I'm opening the door. Make sure you're all well hidden.**_

_**Okay, Max. Be careful, **_her sweet, worried voice played in my head.

I crept up to the door and held my breath.

Then, I braced myself and thrust the door open.

Standing before me was a tall, bulky man in a nice khaki colored suit. (I know, right? _Khaki!_ If he had that much money to afford a suit like that, why did he get it in that puke ugly color?) He had a red face that and wrinkles under his eyes from smiling so much. His eyes were bright and his mustache was curled up perfectly, making it completely symmetrical. As soon as he saw me, he held out his giant hand as if he was expecting a formal handshake. I didn't even notice because standing next to him was…

"FANG!!!" I heard a high-pitched, girly scream. _Who was that?_ I thought to myself. Oh. It was me.

I threw my arms around him and squeezed him so hard, he would've broken if he were a normal person. Then I drew my head back to look at him.

He was smiling down at me with amused eyes. He leaned down and captured my lips in a kiss.

I was so mesmerized that I completely forgot about the new dude standing next to Fang. Or why he was with him.

"What the heck is going on?" I heard Iggy hiss from behind me.

I didn't feel like breaking away from my current activities (if you know what I mean) and so I sent to Angel, _**You can come down now. Fang's back!**_

Just like that, I heard scurrying down the stairs and a lot of gasping and squealing from the flock. I knew they were happy to have Fang back.

But of course, they couldn't tell him because we were still making out. Too bad.

"Blech!" Gazzy yelped as he shielded his eyes.

"Aww!" Angel and Danny cooed just as Nudge exclaimed, "How cute!"

Fang chuckled as we broke apart and faced the flock.

I could practically feel my face breaking from smiling so hard. "Do you forgive me?" I whispered so low that only Fang could hear.

He smirked. "I was never mad at you."

Content with his answer, I looked around at the flock's beaming faces and I noticed that horror was plastered all over Dylan's expression.

I know what you're thinking-- _God, Dylan! Get over it! Max and Fang are together, so suck it up! _

That's pretty much what I thought. But then I noticed that he wasn't looking at Fang and I; he was looking at the man in the khaki suit.

I suddenly tensed. How stupid _was_ I? I completely forgot about our potential enemy!

I spun and faced him, giving him an intense glare, hoping that it would make up for the whole time that I had _not _been an annoying, stubborn, butt-kicking warrior.

I opened my mouth to say something rude (shocker), but Dylan beat me to the punch.

"Dad?" he hissed.

Oh, wait. That's not what I was going to say…

**Yay! Daddy's comin' for a visit! Haha, haha. REVIEW!**


	27. Chapter 27

**AN: Yeah, so I know that I left the last chapter with a cliffhanger, but hey, stop getting all up in my case!!! (Hehe) That's just my style! So freakin' build a bridge and GET OVER IT!!!! Sorry. Random outburst of emotion is over. On with the story.**

…………………………………………Max's POV………………………………………

"Good to see you too, sonny!" Mr. Cheerful laughed.

Okay, what's going on here? Am I the only one not following?

Angel gasped, obviously seeing all of the things going through Dylan's mind.

_**Angel, what is it? Is this guy good or bad?**_

_**I can't tell, Max… His thoughts aren't all that bad, but Dylan's memories of him aren't so giddy.**_

What did he do to Dylan? How did Dylan even know him if he grew up in the School?

I decided not to butt into the strange family reunion, but I would if someone didn't break into the awkward silence that was buzzing in my head.

Danny was gazing at the new guest with a confused expression across her face. Her mouth was open a little, and she was squinting her eyes in concentration. The poor child was probably trying to remember what her dad was like.

Then a light came into her eyes and a huge smile broke out on her face. "Daddy!" she squealed in delight and leapt up into her father's arms. Dylan looked away in disgust, trying to pretend like he didn't see it.

Danny was in tears, clinging to her dad. "Daddy," she cried, "I missed you so much."

He stroked her hair gently and chuckled. "I missed you, too, precious."

They stood there hugging each other for a while. It was a very bittersweet moment. Actually, I still had no idea what was going on.

I cleared my throat. He looked up at me and smiled. I continued to blankly stare at him.

He gently pried Danielle off of his leg and held out his hand to me again.

I crossed my arms and glared at him as if I didn't even see his hand. It's always good to play the bratty role when you're talking to a possible enemy.

He awkwardly swung his arm back to his side and took a deep breath. "Hello, Max. I'm Mr. Ackerson. I'm the father of Dylan and Danielle." He beamed down at me as if he expected me to dance around in joy.

"Why are you here?" I asked him coldly.

He laughed deeply and fully, practically shaking the whole world around us. "What, a man can't visit his own _children_ every once in a while?"

"Not when they let one of the children be tested on by crazy scientists and the other live in isolation for three years," I sneered.

Dylan snorted and Danny stared down at her shoes. Mr. Ackerson's face got red with anger, but yet he still managed to smile. (This guy must be on happy gas or something!)

"You're right, Max. I know you must think of me as a very hateful man, but I have my reasons. And yes, I didn't stop in just to see my children," Danny looked up at him with a face of shock and rejection. "I came here to see _all_ of you," he finished.

What the _heck_ was he talking about?

"Wait, how did you know we were here?" Iggy blurted.

Mr. Cheerful laughed whole-heartedly (shocker) and pulled ten twenty dollar bills out of the pocket in his fancy jacket. "See this?" he said waving the money in front of our faces, arrogantly.

Iggy gave him an incredulous look and stated slowly, "I'm blind. That means I can't see."

We all tried not to laugh, while Mr. Cheerful stared at Iggy in admiration. "Amazing!" he muttered to himself. "I had no idea… And yet… he flies so flawlessly…"

I straightened up and shot a glance to Fang.

_You told him?_ I mouthed.

He winced and looked away. Oh, I was going to kill him later…

"How did you know we were here?" I repeated Iggy's question and brought Mr. Ackerson out of his trance.

"I've got my sources," he said mysteriously with a grin.

"But there's no one else out here but us!" I pointed out. "Unless…" I looked at Dylan. He raised his eyebrows.

"Oh, yeah, I just invited the man I hate most in the world to come visit my little sister and all my friends," he said sarcastically. Well _someone's_ in a bad mood…

I looked at Danny. She jumped slightly as her eyes met my intense gaze. "Me? No, Max, I promise I didn't! I mean, I love my daddy and I'm glad he's visiting, but I didn't know he was coming! And I wouldn't have invited him while all of you were here! I know you guys aren't really good with people… And I definitely wouldn't have invited Daddy here while Dylan was here," she protested. I raised my eyebrows.

_**It wasn't her, Max,**_ Angel confirmed in my head.

I relaxed. Good. There wasn't a traitor amongst us. At least we got _that _cleared up…

**Sorry, this was kind of a filler chapter… I'm still trying to figure out what to do with Mr. Ackerson. I've got the big picture, but I've still got to glue in the final pieces. Any ideas? Send them in as PM's, please, so that no one reads them and it gets spoiled for them. And review as well!**


	28. Chapter 28

**AN: Reviewers are welcome!!! If you do NOT plan on reviewing, LEAVE NOW!!! So… read and review… Yeah**

…………………………………………Max's POV………………………………………

"I want you all to work for me," Mr. Ackerson said directly when we asked him yet again what he wanted from us.

I snorted. "No," I replied without hesitation.

"Max, maybe we should listen to him first," Fang whispered in my ear.

I spun around and faced him. "Why are you on his side? He's a _stranger_, Fang. We don't work for strangers. We don't work for _anyone_. Remember how that turned out last time?" I pointed out.

"Max… He… has something we want… If we help him, he'll give it to us."

That made me pause for a moment. "What?" I asked cautiously. What could Mr. Ackerson possibly have that we would want?

Fang faltered, watching me. Mr. Ackerson stepped forward putting a hand on Fang's shoulder. Fang looked uncomfortable, but he didn't move away.

Mr. Ackerson smiled smugly. "I have the chance for you to get away. To live a life without… interruptions from everyone else that wants you dead, tortured, or in captivity of some sort. You can live on a small island that I will provide. It would be your own personal heaven."

Whoa. I was expecting him to say that he'd give us like… puppies or something.

"How do we know if we can trust you?" I asked in instant business mode.

He laughed deeply, rocking back on his heels as if I had just told him the funniest joke in the world.

"Max! I practically own this world! I have enormous amounts of money and with that, I have earned myself much respect. I can get whatever I want whenever I want it. I can make sure that nothing happens to you… That is, if you will promise to comply the few tasks I have at hand for you," he rang out in a very adult-like voice.

"No," I repeated.

"Why not?" Nudge groaned. "I mean, if his terms are agreeable, I think we should look into it. Wouldn't it be awesome to have our own personal island? We could be like the movie, _Swiss Family Robinson_! We can have our own tree house and we could have pet exotic animals and it would be totally awesome! We could go swimming every day, lay out in the sun, pretty much do _anything_ we want without having to run away or kick butt or hide! I would so totally _love _that! Wouldn't you? I don't understand why we wouldn't at least—MMPHH!!!!" She was cut off when Iggy came up behind her and clamped his hand over her mouth-- a move that I was _very_ glad for.

I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples. "Why do you want _us_ to work for _you_?" I grumbled. I didn't really want to hear why, and I was never going to agree to any of this, but I had to make the younger kids think that I was at least considering it.

Although I couldn't see it through my closed lids, I knew that Mr. Ackerson was smiling at me like I was a little kid. I also knew if I opened my eyes, I would snap and end up tackling this guy and squeezing his happy little head until it popped. (As you can see, I'm a very non-violent person.)

"I own a very big business. We've supported many companies and projects, but people only seem to remember ones that haven't worked out or have ended up badly." He sounded like he was working up to something big. Something that he knew I wasn't going to like. Fang obviously knew that this part was coming, because he took my hand and gave it a squeeze. "…Including Itex," Mr. Ackerson finished.

My eyes snapped open. "_You?_" I hissed. "_You're the one who ruined our lives?_" I started to advance toward him, crouching low as if I was going to pounce.

"Yes, I knew I would get that response from you," he mumbled, looking worried but not backing away. "Many people have opposed to Itex after reading Fang's Blog. When we found out about the uproar, we had someone look into his website. It informed us of the By-Half Plan. At first, we didn't believe it, thinking that some rebellious teenager just wanted to stop animal testing or something, but when we went to the Itex official, she confessed. We immediately shut everything down. Well, everything that was _remaining_, that is. You kids sure do know how to bombard a place," he admitted. "We want to bring back our reputation, but we need your help. Everyone loves you. If you could just help us this one instance, I would personally make sure that you children got everything you wanted."

I slowly came out of my attacking mode. I still wasn't sure about this guy…

_**You can trust him,**_ my Voice echoed in my head. _**He may not be a good man, but he means no harm… As long as you promise to help him. He would be a valuable ally. It would be dangerous to have someone so powerful against you. He owns more than you think…**_

Hmm. Good point.

"C'mon, Max!" Angel pleaded with those sweet, irresistible Bambi eyes.

"I think we deserve a little vacation," Gazzy added.

Nudge opened her big mouth to rant on about her thoughts on the matter (again), but Iggy once again resumed his hold on her chompers. She struggled against him, but Iggy didn't budge.

He smirked. "I think Nudge agrees," he teased. She said something unintelligent that came out muffled through Iggy's tight grasp.

"But I agree as well," he said seriously. "It's time for us to kick back and enjoy life."

I looked at Fang. He hadn't said anything, which wasn't unusual for him, but I still needed some encouragement here. He was watching me with dark eyes and when he caught my eye, he smiled.

"Hey, I'm cool with anything," he said. Of course he was. He was Mr. Rock. He goes with the flow! I rolled my eyes. "But we do need a break. Especially you. We need to have time to be actual _kids_. Something we never seem to have time to be," he advised, wisely.

I tossed their comments around in my head and eventually decided that what really mattered was that we were all together. It couldn't hurt to take a chance…. Could it?

I guess it was time to find out.

**Yay!!! Maxie is giving in! Island vacation, baby!!! Woohoo! I love me some good sunshine! Ahem… Sorry. Review.**


	29. AN: Blog

**AN: Hey, I know that it's really annoying when authors put a whole chapter as author's notes, and I'm really sorry for that, but I just kinda wanted to tell you that I've started a blog! I think it would be pretty cool if I could kind of keep up with that every day and let you know how I'm coming with the stories. Maybe even get some discussions about Maximum Ride or other series (like Twilight maybe?) I could get your ideas for what other fanfictions I should start, you know, stuff like that. It would be cool to keep up with my readers like that! I don't know, maybe you think it'd be stupid… but I'm gonna give it a try. You can't put direct links on fanfiction, so I'm gonna put it with *'s in between everything. Here it is!**

**http:// * momos-corner * . * blogspot * .com**

**So take all of those stars out and add it all together! PLEASE let me know what you think! And you can comment on posts, so you can reply that way, too. God, I'm nervous! Please hurry up! The sooner I get feedback, the sooner the next chapter goes up!!!**


	30. Chapter 30

**AN: Okay, sorry about the wait, but what can I say? I guess it's 'cause I have a LIFE. Can't really apologize for that. Hmm, well here's the chapter. Enjoy. Oh, and don't forget to check my blog when you're through reading this!**

…………………………………………Max's POV………………………………………

Cheers, squeals, and applauds filled my ears as soon as I said that we'd think about it.

I sighed. Didn't they understand that there was still a huge chance that we weren't going to be following through with this? And I'm talking, like, ninety-five percent chance that we'd be doing an Up-and-Away any second.

"Yay!" Nudge chattered, clapping her hands. "I love this! This is so exciting! Let's go now! Oh, this is going to be amazing! Coconuts with little straws in the holes, big bonfires every night, hammocks to relax in--"

"We need a moment to think about this," I butted in, giving Nudge a fierce look.

She got quiet, but frowned at me and pleaded silently with her big brown eyes.

"Oh, of course! Discuss as much as you like," Mr. Cheerful flooded with fake enthusiasm that I could see right through.

"Alone," I corrected him coldly.

He frowned (which I think must have been a first for him) and nodded.

I motioned for the flock to follow me back inside. We shuffled through the door, leaving the awkward reunited family alone on the doorstep. Dylan gave me a strained look. I shrugged and smiled sympathetically.

When we were all together in the living room, I looked around at the flock's hopeful faces. "You guys can't be serious," I started nervously.

They watched me silently.

"This is the freaking man that started _Itex!_" I tried to remind them.

Angel jerked up her chin in defense. "But he said he didn't know about the experiments," she pointed out.

"Does that really matter?"

"Max, why can't you just let us enjoy ourselves for once?" Gazzy moaned almost angrily. "This would be our one chance to be normal!"

"Normal kids don't live one deserted islands, Gazzy."

"Well it's more normal than running away from, like, robots and stuff! And sleeping in state parks! And trying to save the world!" Nudge pouted, crossing her arms.

"But that's what I'm supposed to do!" I whispered in exasperation. "I can't just throw that responsibility away!"

They were quiet again.

"Max, we don't _need_ the world as long as we have each other," Angel whispered.

I closed my eyes. I didn't think I could do this. It would drive me crazy to be on an island pretending that everything was fine when in reality, I knew that the world was slowly dying around me. And knowing that it was my fault.

Fang came to stand by me, and he put his arm around me. "I know it's hard, Max," he whispered in his low, reasonable voice. "But we can help you get through this. We can live in our own fantasy; everything as we want it." His voice was so soothing. I wanted to believe him.

"I can't live like this anymore, Max," Nudge moaned. "I can't always be on the run. I can't be scared that any moment, we could be in another deadly situation. What if next time they get one of us? What if next time one of us doesn't come back?"

I thought about when my Angel was taken away from me. When they took us all back to the School and told us that we hadn't ever even left. When they took me away, and tried to replace me. What if Nudge was right? We were fast, but what if they got faster?

I opened my eyes and looked up straight into Fang's dark eyes.

"Alright," I whispered, barely audible.

It was silent, but I could practically feel the happiness radiating off of the flock's glowing faces.

Without looking back, I broke out of Fang's grip and walked back to the front door.

I swung the door open and stepped directly in front of Mr. Ackerson.

"We're in," I said, trying to sound strong. I could hear disappointment seething out of my own words.

"Splendid!" he laughed. "Pleasure to be doing business with you!" He stuck out his arm for an official handshake, but stopped when I gave him a look that said, If-you-try-to-give-me-a-handshake-one-more-time-I-will-literallly-rip-your-arm-out-of-its-socket-and-beat-you-with-it. He tucked his hand in his pocket.

"What kind of business will we be doing with you, anyway?"

He smiled. "I want you to feed the hungry children of Africa with me," he said with a grin.

**Yeah! Hungry children of Africa! WOOHOO! Okay, now I want you to review. Yep, that's right. I just hypnotized you into clicking the pretty green button and typing a truthful remark. Mhmm. You better go do that now. Or I'll find you. **=]


	31. Chapter 31

**AN: Sorry about the wait! Yeah, I know that feeding the hungry children of Africa is kind of… different, but it wasn't my idea. Blame James Patterson. Anyways, ON WITH THE STORY!!!!!**

……………………………………….Max's POV………………………………………...

"So… why are we feeding the hungry children of Africa?" Nudge asked while trying to hold her hair back from the wind that was beating in from the wings of Mr. Ackerson's helicopter.

"Because it would make us look better to everyone who has been doubting us. It would help us regain people's trust," he explained.

I rolled my eyes. They didn't really care about the kids. They were just doing this for the publicity. And we were just being their stupid little puppets.

Fang put his arm around me and squeezed my shoulder, obviously feeling my tension. I leaned into him and closed my eyes. I just wanted this all to be over.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . one hour later . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Where are we?" Gazzy asked as we got off the helicopter.

All we could see around us was dry, cracked ground. The sun was glaring down on us as if it were trying to melt us. Off in the distance, I could see a small village. It was made up of small mud houses with stick covered roofs.

I shielded my eyes so that I could see better. "So this is it, huh?" I sighed.

Mr. Ackerson nodded. "This is it."

We walked toward the village in silence. (Which was especially weird for Nudge, but I guess we were all just to weak to talk. The sun really drained us.)

"Make sure that you keep your wings visible at all times," Mr. Ackerson instructed us.

"Why?" I asked. Usually we tried to keep our wings hidden, for our own safety and for the well being of those around us.

"These people won't judge you. They'll accept you for who you are," he said with a smile.

"Yeah right," I scoffed. "You just want our wings out so they'll be in the pictures."

Mr. Ackerson laughed. "Quite right, Max. You are a clever girl."

I refrained from strangling him and gave him a sarcastic smile.

We walked into the village with everyone staring at us. I must admit, I was very uncomfortable.

Little kids were crying, mothers were trying to tend to them all. I think some were even trying to tend to ones that weren't theirs. I suddenly realized that a lot of them didn't have mothers.

I choked up as I saw one boy that looked like he was around Gazzy's age. He was completely painful to look at. His clothes hung in rags around him and I could practically see every bone in his body. He was feeding something to a little three year old while cradling a baby.

I looked down at my clothes. They were dirty and ripped, but now were like clothes straight out of a queen's closet. How could I have been so selfish before? I was always thinking about how bad we had it, how we never had a home and we never had enough food. Now looking at these children, I felt ashamed.

Then, a little girl ran up to me. I almost tripped over her. She wore no shoes, and had a ratty green dress that looked like it had been passed on for a long time.

She looked up at me with her big brown eyes. She seemed to be reading my soul. Slowly, a smiled crept over her face. She grabbed my hand and started leading me down the little street.

We passed many people that I don't think I could even start to explain, but it was bad. Everyone looked dirty, tired, and sick.

Just as I was about to ask where the girl was taking me, she turned the corner and brought me to a small soccer field with many children.

Now when I say soccer field, I don't mean lush green fields with white paint where the out-of-bounds lines were. I mean a brown, dusty field with lines drawn by a stick. The goals were just two sticks stuck a few feet apart. The kids were playing with a very old kickball that was flat.

When the kids saw me, they all stopped and came over to join the girl and me. The girl pointed at me and spoke a few words that I couldn't understand. The flock showed up behind me, along with Mr. Ackerson and his photographer.

The little girl tugged at my jeans. I turned my attention back to her. She held her hands up as if she wanted to touch my face.

I kneeled down and all of the kids surrounded me. The girl traced her fingers over my face. Some of the other kids tentatively touched my wings. They gasped in amazement.

Wanting to please them, I spread them out to their full length. The kids clapped and chattered amongst themselves. I smiled, happy to make them happy.

Then, some of the other kids pulled the rest of the flock forward and soon we were all showing off our wings and trying to amuse them.

That's pretty much how the rest of the day went. We flew for a few minutes while the kids watched us in wonder. When we came back down, we played some soccer with them. It was really fun. It felt great to do something right and it put me in a good mood. It was a bit annoying that the photographer was constantly snapping pictures, but I didn't let it distract me.

Later in the day, the helicopter came and we unloaded the boxes of food. We gave a couple to every family. Every time we delivered the boxes, the parents were crying and thanking us. We didn't know what they were saying, but we nodded and smiled and gave a lot of hugs.

Finally, it was time to leave. We all walked towards the helicopter with many new friends following us to see us off.

It was hard to say good-bye. I cried, which is something I don't like to do.

When we were back in the helicopter, we were all quiet. I could tell that we were all sad, but happy. We knew that we'd helped people who needed it, but it made us feel worse about leaving civilization behind. It was sad to know that this village would be destroyed along with the rest of the world. And we were allowing it to happen.


	32. Chapter 32

**AN: I'm not in a good mood. Not sure how this chapter is going to turn out, but please bare with me.**

……………………………………….Max's POV………………………………………...

I completely freaked out on the helicopter ride back to Danny's house. I didn't let the flock see, but I felt really panicky knowing that I soon had to withdraw from the world. It can really shake a girl up, you know?

No one seemed to notice… until I met Dylan's eyes. He was watching me with concern. I wondered if he knew that I was nervous. I also wondered if he was still mad at me.

_Why should it matter? _I told myself. _I won't ever see him again once we leave._ I wasn't sure how I felt about that.

* * *

"So when do we get to leave?" Nudge asked for the four-millionth time.

"As soon as my agent calls back confirming that you have all died a tragic death," Mr. Ackerson replied calmly. They wanted to make people think that we'd died so that no one would come looking for us. I think we were leaning towards the headline being _Kids with wings get sucked into tornado while trying to bravely save a kitten from a tree._ Pretty heroic death, huh?

Then I froze.

"Max, what's wrong?" Gazzy asked.

"Mom," I croaked.

How could I have forgotten? Not once had I thought about my mom or Ella while deciding whether we should disappear off of the face of the earth. How selfish was I? How could I do that to my mom?

Silence crept over the flock as they realized what I meant.

"We could always go back and visit," Angel suggested quietly.

Mr. Ackerson coughed uncomfortably. "Unfortunately, I don't believe that would be possible. It would be dangerous and I'm afraid we wouldn't be able to supply a helicopter to take you on and off the island. Unless you can fly eight hours on those wings of yours…"

My eyes watered up. I had just really gotten to know my mom, something I had always wanted. How could I let her go? But then I looked at Nudge, Gazzy, Angel's faces and I realized something. They had always wanted this, so how could I take it away from them.

No one said anything. No one was willing to say, "Oh, that's okay, Max. We don't have to go. We know how important your mom and sister are to you." No one cared about what I wanted.

I didn't know what to do.

So I did what I do best.

"I… I need to think. I'll be back later." And then I ran out of the house, extending my wings and taking flight.

Up in the air, I took deep, uneven breaths.

_**You know what to do, Max. You can't abandon the world when it needs you most. Don't give up on it now.**_ The Voice sent rapid pictures in my head of world destruction, poverty, disaster. Then I saw the little girl from the village. She looked up at me with her big, brown eyes. She cocked her head and gave me a sad smile. _Help me, Max_, she begged.

I wanted to hug her, but as soon as I reached out, the scenes were gone.

This was too much pressure. I yelled at the top of my lungs, trying to get it all out. I needed to relax and clear my mind so I could make the right decision. Would my mom understand if I went with the flock's plan? What if she really believed the news reports and thought I was dead? I didn't want to put her or Ella in any pain.

I dive-bombed and pulled up several times, enjoying the sensation of free-fall.

But then, I saw something. A form, hovering in the air. No wings, no jet packs. Just floating.

I cautiously circled it, trying to get close enough to make out what it was.

I breathed in sharply as I recognized the cute, smiling face.

It was Danielle.

**AAAAAHHHHHH!!!!! Cliffie!!!! Oh yeah, by the way, uh…. REVIEW.**


	33. Chapter 33

**AN: La di da da… I'm in a better mood! My volleyball tournament won!**

……………………………………….Max's POV………………………………………...

_What the heck?! _That's the only thing that was running through my mind.

I didn't know whether I should go to her, fly away from her, or simply pass out.

The third option was sounding pretty good right then.

"Hey, Max," Danny said sweetly, but her voice sounded mischievous to me.

I'm not sure, but I think I said something intelligent like, "Uhhhh…"

Danny just smiled. She stepped forward and she seemed to walk on thin air straight towards me.

I shook my head and tried to clear my thoughts. "Danny, what's going on?"

"Oh, I'm just a bit sad," she sighed.

"Why?" I asked hesitantly. She was about five feet away now.

"I don't want you to go," she said.

I understood. I mean, this kid had been living alone for a long, long, time. I guess she had really liked having company. It would be depressing to be alone all over again.

I tried to smile. "I'm sorry. I wish we didn't have to go," I said.

Her eyes lit up wickedly. "You don't have to," she replied coolly.

A shiver ran down my back. Something wasn't right. I mean, _besides_ the fact that she was, like, floating and stuff.

"What do you mean…" I mumbled. I tensed and prepared myself to dive bomb and get the heck out of there.

"I'm not going to let you."

Now, usually, I would say something smart-allic like _Yeah right! I'd like to see you try!_ but I had a feeling that that wasn't going to do me much good.

I glanced at Danny and then I suddenly closed my wings and dove down, trying to get away.

I heard Danny laugh right behind me. I looked behind me and saw her soaring through the air with her hair whipping madly behind her and her eyes glowing with excitement.

I turned away and continued to free-fall.

Then, I felt a grip on my neck. I couldn't breathe. My sight was going fuzzy.

I spun madly out of control and I caught a glimpse of Danny, about four feet behind me. She wasn't touching me, but she had her hand out in front of her and she was squeezing her hand around something invisible.

I realized suddenly that _she_ was choking me without even touching me.

She smiled cruelly.

And then I blacked out.

**Sorry about the short chapter, but the next one is going to be good. I'm kind of finishing up. Yay/Aww. Ok, so review and tell me what you think about Danny being evil and stuff!**


	34. Chapter 34

**AN: Reviews were awesome. I love you guys! This story will be finished soon, since the REAL book is coming out in like fifteen days. I really have liked writing this story, and I hope you all have enjoyed it as well. It's pretty successful for my first fanfic ever, huh?! Hmmm, enough with the rambling! I will give you a chapter to feast your eyes upon now!**

…………………………………….…Max's POV……………………….………………

I woke up with another brain attack.

I saw a lot of pictures and scenes, most of them including a familiar face: Danny.

_**Get up, Max,**_ the Voice rang loud and clear in my head. _**It's a new day. Get up and face it**_. I winced as I realized that the Voice was quoting my wake up call from so long ago in our mountain home.

I sighed and my eyelids struggled to peel themselves open.

_**No matter what happens today, Maximum Ride, trust your judgment. Not anyone else's. Listen to **_**your**_** judgment.**_

I frowned as I thought this over. I rubbed my temples, trying to clear away my headache that came with the Voice's words of wisdom.

Finally, my eyes were fully open and quickly focused in on my surroundings.

I was in a cage.

I sat up, panicking, praying that I was not in a new version of the School, or anything close to it.

The cage was in a small room with a single door and a single window. The door looked thick, and I could see many locks securing it. The window was small and rectangular. It was close to the ceiling, leading me to believe that the room was partially underground.

The cage was just big enough for me to stand up and walk a few paces. I was grateful that it wasn't a dog crate like I was so familiar with.

I pulled at the bars hopelessly until my hands were raw and bleeding.

I cried out, feeling completely helpless and sank to my knees.

Then I got an idea.

_**Angel**_, I thought, hoping with all of my might that she was somewhere nearby and somewhere safe.

_**Max!**_ her voice played in my head. _**We were worried about you. We thought that she'd killed you.**_

_**Danny? I know. She's not who we thought she was,**_ I thought back.

_**Yeah. She's very powerful. She's been able to keep her thoughts from seeming evil. That's why I haven't picked up anything strange from her. She's manipulating.**_

I clenched my jaw. I hated being tricked.

_**Where are you? Is everyone safe?**_ I asked.

_**We're all fine. Right now we're tied up, but no major injuries. When you left, Danny captured us. She didn't even touch us! She just… moved her hands and suddenly… we were tied up. **_Angel sounded confused, as if she couldn't even believe that she was admitting to something that sounded so crazy.

_**That's how she got me, too. Is Dylan with you?**_ I wanted to believe he wasn't a part of this.

Angel was quiet and I held my breath.

_**He's with us, but he's not tied up. He keeps telling us that he's sorry and that he'll try to get us out of here.**_

I sighed. Maybe he wasn't as evil as his sister was. Maybe he really would try to help us escape.

And maybe the moon was made out of cream cheese.

**I like how I ended this chapter. JP used that in The Angel Experiment in the chapter where Angel was being tested on by the white coats. Yep. I just thought that was a cool line. So review and whatnot!**


	35. Chapter 35

**AN: _I can see the airport, past the trees in my back yard. And we can watch all the airplanes take off from my street after dark. We'll wonder about the places they'll go. Away from the clouds and frozen snow. Wherever they land, they'll already know that it's not like home!_ Hum de dum…. Oh, was I singing? How silly of me. That song is called Leap Before You Look! by Heyhihello! You should listen to them they're awesome. I'm going to marry the lead singer. =] Anyways, now you may read what you came for.**

…………………………………….…Max's POV………………………………………...

After what seemed like forever, I heard faint footsteps. I tensed and stood up. I had to be ready for whatever Danny was going to do to me.

The heavy door opened and Danny stepped in. She walked straight up to my cage without hesitation. She flicked her wrist slightly and the heavy door shut tightly behind her. I tried to hide my shiver.

She smiled wryly at me. I glared. "Hi, Max," she sang in her trill voice. "I hope your stay has been pleasant."

I gritted my teeth. "Oh, yeah. I feel right at home. Who wouldn't want to live behind _bars_ all their life? Not me, that's for sure." I made sure that sarcasm dripped heavily out my mouth.

"Oh, those won't be necessary anymore." Danny curled her hands to make them look like she was holding two separate invisible bars. Then she pulled them towards her and I heard a loud groaning sound. Suddenly, I realized that the cage was coming apart around me. I dropped to the floor and covered my head.

I waited for the crushing feeling. I waited for the pain and then the unconsciousness.

It didn't come.

Slowly, I rolled over on my back. The ceiling was about a foot above my face. I quickly scurried out from under the low structure before it could collapse.

I crawled on my knees over the debris of broken bars and jumped to my feet. Danny had her hand outstretched and slowly, she lowered it. The ceiling of the cage came down with it.

It was going to take a lot of time to get used to that.

I was still breathing deeply, but I tried to pull myself together.

"So, I guess now we need to talk," Danielle sighed.

I didn't say anything, but I gave her a wary look.

Then she smiled.

"Daddy?" she called. "Bring them in."

**Sorry for the short chapter. I'm just tryin' to think how I'm going to do this. What's gonna happen next? Hmm? Well I'll make you a deal. REVIEW and maybe I'll tell ya'. By puttin' up the next chapter. Deal? Good. So review.** =]


	36. Chapter 36

**AN: I really hope that I finish this in time! AHHH! Stress!!!**

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I jumped as big buff guys in muscle shirts busted through the door, each holding a struggling flock member in their arms.

Fury rose within me as I looked at them. They were cold; they showed no emotion in their faces. They almost seemed robotic.

_**Remember, Max….**_

I listened to the Voice. _**Remember what?**_

_**Who have you fought that looks human, but isn't?**_

I thought hard. Erasers? No, that wasn't it.

I saw a flash-back to when I was fighting Omega. He had no facial expressions, his eyes gave away nothing. He was purely trained to fight and follow orders.

I looked back at the men. Could it really be? If they were like Omega, there was no way we could stand a chance, especially if they upgraded them.

I met Fang's eyes, and they didn't look hopeful. He seemed like he was trying to take me in, as if we would never see each other again.

_**Max**_, Angel said frantically in my head. _**Don't listen to him. Whatever he says, don't—**_

She stopped when Danny gave her a sharp look and then she started to shake. My baby, my Angel, was silently shrieking, as if someone was killing her from the inside out.

"Stop!" I cried. "Leave her alone!" I tried to run to Angel, but Danny pushed her arm toward me and I flew back and hit the wall. I collapsed and watched in horror as Angel finally passed out.

Then, Mr. Ackerson walked in. Next to him, was Dylan.

"No," I growled.

I jumped to my feet and started shrieking, "Traitor!"

Dylan looked at me apologetically. "I didn't mean for it to happen this way," he croaked. "It would have been so much easier if you had just…." He looked away as if this were painful for him to do.

Danny stepped toward Dylan and hugged his leg. "It's alright, Dylan. She was stubborn with Fang, too. She claimed she would never love him, and now she claims she will never stop. She can change her mind easily. All she needs is… time." Her eyes lit up as she announced the last sentence.

I got angry.

"Who the heck do you think you are? You can't tell me who to love! _I'm Maximum Ride!_ I make my own decisions! I will not be threatened by a little brat and her stalker big brother!" I stomped my foot and balled my fists.

"Max, I know this isn't what you wanted," Mr. Ackerson started. "But my son has been waiting for you for a long time. You two were meant to be together--"

I shook my head. "Says who?" I hissed. "Says stupid scientists who rely completely on genetics and formulas? How would they know anything about who is or isn't perfect for me?"

They were quiet. I felt Fang's eyes boring into me, but I refused to look at him. "Someone who loves me wouldn't lie to me," I said directly to Dylan. "Someone who loves me would want the best for me. Someone who loves me would laugh with me, would cry with me, would take care of me, would understand me."

Dylan's eyes grew sad and he looked at me intensely. He didn't say anything.

"You can't do these things, Dylan. I can't make you happy and you can't make me happy. Fight against fate. Find your own love. Finding love is much better than being forced into it. I promise you. You don't want me, you just think you do." Wow, I was really starting to sound like a cheesey psychiatrist.

He smiled half-heartedly. "I love you, Max. I couldn't bare to be parted from you. I know we are supposed to be together, I really do. I can't let you go."

Geez, he's stubborn.

"And I can't stay," I said back sternly.

"Well, that's not true," Danny piped up. "Either you stay and the flock goes, or you go and the flock stays."

She knew me too well.

* * *

**Well that chapter's a little bit longer… and don't worry. Answers will be revealed!**


	37. Chapter 37

**AN: Only a few more chapters left! I hate being pressured… Next fanfiction, I'm just going to do something that DOESN'T have a deadline.**

* * *

I didn't even think about it.

"Take me. Let them go." My voice sounded braver than I felt.

Fang struggled against his captor. I met his eyes and shook my head. I tried to stay confident.

Gazzy, Nudge, and Iggy were also struggling. They were all so brave; I knew they would be okay without me. I would try to get away, of course, but somehow I knew that it was a bit hopeless. Danny was too powerful.

Danny smiled. "Good choice. Take them away."

"Wait!" I yelled, panicking. I needed a few more minutes with them. If this was the last time I was going to see them, I wanted to make it last.

Dylan, Danny, and Mr. Ackerson looked at me questioningly.

"What is it?" Mr. Ackerson asked.

I racked my brain. "I… I need some answers."

Danny raised an eyebrow. "Answers? To what?"

I pursed my lips and turned to Dylan. "How did you fool Angel? When you said that they," I nodded towards the Omega-like men, "were after us, I asked Angel if you were telling the truth. She said that she read your mind and she believed you." Wow, that was pretty good for something I pulled off the top of my head.

Dylan knitted his eyebrows together and tilted his head. I have to admit, he looked a lot like a confused puppy. "Well… Well I don't really know… Wait, why don't I know?"

Danny stepped forward and rolled her eyes. "Well that was the works of me. I have influence over minds. I sent the images of you being in trouble to Dylan, so he really believed it. He didn't have to hide anything from Angel because he truly believed that you were all in trouble."

Dylan looked at his sister in shock. "You did that?"

Danny nodded.

Question one answered.

"Okay, I have another question." I still needed time. I had to think my way out of this.

Danny stamped her foot. "Fine. But let's make it quick."

"_What are you?_" I flat out asked.

She laughed. "I'm an Itex experiment gone wrong. They tried to put the intelligence of a full-grown human being into an infant's mind. Provided with all that information, my brain still continued to develop. I started discovering new powers, dangerous powers, which led the scientists to believe that I was too dangerous to keep around. They tried to destroy me, but I wouldn't let that happen. My father and brother eventually had to convince me to live out here by myself so I couldn't hurt anyone. I agreed, but I made them swear to me that when you came, Max, that we would all go back into reality together. We could make a great team. The three of us in control, no one telling us what to do. It would be our world to mold." Her eyes glazed over as she imagined her version of the world's future.

I shook my head. "Why would you need me to do that?" I asked, truly confused now.

Danny was drawn out of her trance and she looked at me. "You don't even know your own abilities," she mused. "So much power, yet you're so oblivious."

I backed away nervously. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Dylan was giving Danny a fierce look and shaking his head as if he wanted her to shut her mouth. The flock (minus the unconscious Angel) had stopped struggling and were listening intensely.

"That's why they made Dylan. He's here to help you decide whether you will make or break the world."

I was quiet. What did she mean? How could Dylan help me decide that?

_**Think about it, Maximum. If Itex wanted you to side with them and help them destroy the world, who would they send to convince you to go in their direction?**_

The Voice had a point. The scientists would send someone who would be perfect for me, someone I couldn't resist. It all made sense now. Dylan was their secret weapon.

* * *

**AHHHH!!! Did that make sense? Sorry if that was all too confusing… Please give me feedback!!!**


	38. Chapter 38

**I think that this is the second to last chapter! ;D**

* * *

"Well? Is that it? Anymore questions?" Danny asked impatiently.

No, I wasn't ready. I needed more time!

I frantically looked at the flock, trying to take them all in at once. I realized with a sob that this would be the last time I would see them.

I gave Fang a long meaningful look and a single tear slid down my cheek. He was looking back at me and I knew that he was thinking the same thing that I was.

_I love you, _I mouthed. He nodded as if to say the same thing.

I tried to smile at the rest of the flock, but it probably looked more like a grimace.

Nudge was crying, Iggy was looking utterly depressed, Gazzy was trying to be brave but he was shaking and breathing raggedly. I was almost glad that Angel was unconscious; it would just kill me to see her big, blue eyes filling with tears.

Danny shrugged, drawing my attention back to her. "Alright. Take them away, then."

I admit, I freaked out.

"No wait! I… I… Please don't… Don't take them…" I barely even recognized my own voice. I sounded weak, and I'm pretty sure that's the first time that I'd ever pleaded to someone. I really felt hopeless and defeated.

Danny laughed. The guards started to force the flock towards the door. Dylan and Mr. Ackerson lead them out. The flock was struggling against their bonds and thrashing around in the arms of their captors. I watched drag Angel's limp body across the debris-covered floor.

And then I snapped.

A sudden anger filled me, completely overwhelming me and giving me a new strength. How _dare_ they try to separate me from the flock! Danny had completely betrayed us, Mr. Ackerson lied to us, and worst of all, Dylan had tried to split Fang and I up by trying to force me to love him. I was mad. And I mean _really _mad.

I wanted to punch someone. If Danny would let me move, if she would just leave me alone for _one second_, maybe I could get to the flock…

I closed my eyes. I could feel Danny's force surrounding me. Even though I couldn't see it, it was waiting to strike as soon as I moved.

_No,_ I thought stubbornly. _I won't be held back any longer._

Almost as soon as I thought it, I felt the force recoil. A burst of energy shot through me and I smiled, enjoying the sensation of power.

Danny spun around to face me. My eyes snapped open and for a second, I saw fear and confusion in her eyes.

She flicked her hand and I felt the impact trying to push me back, but I concentrated hard and deflected it.

I smiled again. I could see how Danny was so power crazy. It felt _incredible_. I almost forgot that the flock was in danger. Almost.

Danny was furious. She waved her hands left and right, trying to use her power to defeat me. I repelled every one of them, taking a step forward each time.

She started coming harder now, so I kept all of my thoughts on blocking her. One of her blows backfired so ferociously, she stumbled back.

I knew that this might be my only chance to break free, so I ran out the door to find the flock. I heard Danny shriek in rage behind me.

I laughed as I ran up the stairs, skipping three steps at a time.

When I was back to the main floor, I ran towards the front door. I could hear a car starting outside.

With my heart in my throat, I looked out the window. I saw the Omega men toss Nudge into the black car and I could see the rest of the flock thrashing around in the back seat. It looked like Angel was finally starting to wake up.

Dylan was standing far away from them, refusing to look in their direction. I couldn't see his face, but he looked rigid and stressed. _Serves him right,_ I couldn't help thinking.

Mr. Ackerson was busily chatting away on his phone (don't ask me how he got service out here in the middle of nowhere) as if nothing important was going on.

I snuck out the door and dove behind the dead bush that was right in front of the house.

I knew I had to get to the flock quick; Danny would find me any minute. I may have the power to throw her off, but the rest of the flock sure didn't.

When the Omega men finished their job, they marched back over to Mr. Ackerson for their next orders.

That's when I ran for it. My plan was to untie them as fast as I could, and then we would fly off. (Yeah, I know. I'm a great philosopher.)

I was so close. I was almost to the car. The only thing that was running through my mind was, _We've got to get away. We've got to leave._

I could see the happy and hopeful faces of the flock as they saw me racing towards them. I was so close.

"Stop her!"

And once again, I was reminded that fate had other plans.

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**Review!!!**


	39. Chapter 39

**AN: I'm kind of mad right now, because we just lost terribly in our volleyball tournament and my coach was NOT happy. So now we're all going to die in our next practice. I'll try not to make the flock throw themselves of a cliff and forget to open their wings. We'll see.**

* * *

Just as I touched the handle on the door, I felt strong hands grab my waist. I was thrown back, spinning through the air until I landed with a not-so-graceful thump.

I groaned, but forced myself to stand up. Immediately, an Omega man came up from out of nowhere and punched me straight in the gut. The air rushed out of me and I sank to my knees.

_So that's how it's going to be,_ I thought to myself. _Fine. Bring it._

The Omega man was circling and I struggled to my feet. Making sure he was watching, I looked over his shoulder and widened my eyes. I tried to look scared.

Confused, he turned to see what I was staring at. I jumped on his back and held on for dear life. He roared in anger, obviously upset about being tricked.

I tightened my grip on him as he thrashed and tried to throw me off.

He paused for a moment, so I cupped my hands and brought them down hard on his ears. He collapsed and covered his head. I untangled myself and ran towards the car again.

Then, as if there was a cord attached to me, I felt myself being yanked backwards. I heard Danny laugh. I growled and glared at the once innocent little girl.

She instantly stopped smiling and took a step back. "Max, please. Just join us. Join us and we won't hurt your friends."

I balled my fists. "You said you'd let them go, but they're in the back of a car tied up, aren't they?"

Danny rolled her eyes. "Well we couldn't have easily released them here. They're so stubborn; they would've tried to save you. We were just going to take them somewhere they wouldn't recognize—where they wouldn't know where to start looking for you."

I sighed. Why did they have to be so darn logic?

I was thinking about how I could distract them, how I could get them to look away for just a few seconds so that I could get to the car.

_**Max!**_ Angel yelled suddenly and urgently in my head. I jumped, not expecting it.

_**Angel! Are you okay, baby?**_

Instead of answering my question, she said, _**Don't come to the car. Fang managed to undo Nudge's wrist bonds and now she's untying us. Just pretend to go along with Danny's plans. Give us the cue and we'll jump out and take them by surprise.**_

I tried to keep it off my face, but I felt a sudden burst of hope. Maybe we could do this after all.

"Alright," I said abruptly. "Fine. I'll go along with your plan. But you have to let them go." I gestured toward the car.

Dylan looked at me. "Really?"

I nodded and he almost smiled. "I would do anything for them," I snapped. "I love them." His almost-smile faded and he knew that I wasn't talking about the flock. I was talking about Fang. I wanted him to know that even if I stayed with them, it wasn't because of him; it was because of Fang.

He looked away. Danny patted his arm and turned towards me. "I'm glad you decided to join us Max. You won't regret it." I nodded, trying to look like I wasn't plotting against them. "The three of us can't be stopped. Everyone will have to surrender to us. Fear is the first step to gaining respect." She smiled coldly.

I shook my head vigorously. "You're wrong. The first step in gaining respect is kindness and loyalty. You thrive on fear alone and look where that's gotten you—your father and brother only tolerate you because they don't know what you'd do to them if they didn't. When you gained real friends, you turned your back on them losing all respect you might have had." Her eyes flared dangerously, but I didn't care. I was on a roll. I had to buy time so that Nudge could get everyone untied. "Don't you ever think that life would be better if you had someone to spend it with?" She opened her mouth to speak, but I cut her off. "No, captivity doesn't count. Forcing someone to pretend to like you is just ridiculous. That's why I can't stay with you. I don't like bossy little brats who think they're all-that. No matter how much you think ruling the world will fix all your problems, it won't. Just like I can't accept that running off to a little island get away will fix all _my _problems, it would still leave a hole in me. And that's why I'm dealing with my problems _now._ You're my problem, Danny. It's my job to save the world, and that's what I'm going to do. By getting rid of the threat." I snarled my last words, making sure it was truly vicious.

She looked hurt, but I wouldn't let her act get to me. I couldn't afford to show mercy this time.

_**Now!**_ I thought, desperately hoping that they had all gotten untied.

The flock jumped out of the car and I ran over to stand by them.

I looked at them all. They looked like crap. They obviously hadn't slept in a while, they definitely hadn't had anything to eat or drink either. "You ready, guys?" They nodded and I smiled. They were always so brave and I loved them for it.

Danny was breathing heavily. "No!" she shrieked. "Destroy them!" Like they were in a trance, the Omega men marched forward.

Fang and I exchanged a glance. We knew that this would most likely be our last stand. In other circumstances, we would've just flown away. We were, after all, outside. But this time, we had to fight. This was my destiny. I was supposed to save the world and this was how I was going to do it.

I looked back at the Omega men and for the first time noticed how many of them there were. There were six of us and twelve of them. That means that each of us would have to take on two. (Yes, I know, I'm a math-whizz.) It almost impossible to take on _one_. I would know—I was almost defeated by the original Omega, and he was an old model. These were going to be even harder to destroy.

I sighed.

_As if my life couldn't get anymore frustrating._

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**The last chapter to this story will be posted tomorrow—the day that **_**FANG: a Maximum Ride Novel**_** comes out. It's been fun writing and I hope that you guys will all read my future stories! Thanks for being there for me! I love you! Oh yeah, and I'll love you even MORE if you REVIEW!!!**


	40. Chapter 40

**AN: This is the last chapter in my story!!! I want to thank you all for being so supportive. I especially want to thank Lizzaranda, randombookworm, maispecialk, nixxesdaughter, Flight at Midnight, and emotionalpoemgirl! I love you SOOO much for reviewing and sticking with me through all of this! You guys rock! Anyways… Here goes nothin'!**

…………………………………..…Max's POV…………………………………………..

"On my mark, fight with everything you've got. Understand?" I murmured out the side of my mouth.

They nodded. I turned to them. "Hey, guys, no matter what… Just… Just remember that I love you. All of you." I looked away awkwardly. Emotions aren't really my forte.

Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel hugged me, and Iggy and Fang stood back suddenly engrossed in the drifting clouds.

"We love you, too," Angel piped.

I smiled. "And remember, if you feel like you can't do this, then just go. I'll understand. This is, after all, _my _responsibility. I don't want to force this on you."

They shook their heads. Fang stepped forward and wrapped his arms around me. I buried my face in his chest and inhaled deeply. "We're not leaving. We stay with you," he said in his low, reasonable voice. I couldn't help but smile. I loved him _so_ much.

I pulled back and smiled up at him, despite it all. His eyes lit up and slowly, the corners of his mouth turned up in a heart-stopping smile. As if we both knew what was running through our minds, he leaned down just as I tip-toed up to kiss him. Our lips met, and we shared a soft but passionate kiss. It wasn't long, but it was meaningful.

We broke apart and I felt stronger and more hopeful. Nudge and Angel were smiling, Iggy gave a quick wolf whistle, and Gazzy was pretending to gag.

"_Please!_" Danny growled. "That's utterly disgusting. I'm glad you got that out of your system, because once this is over, you'll never do anything remotely close to that again." She glared at me, but mostly she glared at Fang. I guess she didn't really approve. Hmm, too bad I don't care.

Dylan was shaking. I'd forgotten he was even there, and for a moment I felt guilty. He wouldn't meet my eyes. He was glaring at Fang and I could feel the hatred radiating off of him.

"What are we waiting for?" Dylan asked brutally. He was positioned to attack. And he was angled toward Fang.

Fang rolled up his sleeves (very man-like) and also got ready to fight.

"I'll take Danny. Are you guys sure you can handle the Omega men for a while?" I asked.

"Oh, yeah! We got this!" Gazzy exclaimed with a fist punch in the air.

The Omega men (who were still marching towards us) finally stopped.

It was eerily silent as the tension grew.

All at once, disaster broke out.

We jumped into action, throwing punches, kicks, and a few occasional cuss words (only from the older kids, though).

I was proud. We were doing okay. It might actually work out for us.

I was very busy fighting off Danny, but out of the corner of my eye, I could see Fang and Dylan in a serious fight. And I mean, _dead _serious. I groaned inwardly as I realized that it was a fight over me.

Danny drew my attention back to her when she swiped her hand and I fell flat on my back. I got to my feet quickly.

I heard Nudge cry out and I looked over at her. She was pinned to the ground and I saw her swollen eye and her mouth was filled with blood. I wanted to run to her, but I couldn't let Danny go.

Danny smiled, enjoying my dilemma. "Why don't you go help Nudge?" she asked innocently. "I'll just wait here."

Yeah right. As soon as I turned my back, she would attack someone else and I wouldn't be able to stop her.

She tilted her head. "No? Well then why don't you help Iggy?"

What was she talking about? I looked over to where Iggy was supposed to be fighting. I gasped when I saw him clutching his stomach and wrenching his guts out. (Eww.) The Omega man, who had obviously just slugged him, grabbed him by the back of his shirt and held him up.

"Or maybe Gazzy?" Horror seeping through me, I jerked my head and forced myself to stay calm as I saw a bruised and bloodied Gazzy in a headlock.

_Don't say it. Don't say it,_ I begged mentally.

"Or Angel?" My heart dropped to my stomach. I took a deep breath and slowly turned to look at my baby. She was crying, making the blood on her cheek wash away. The Omega man was holding a handful of her hair. I noticed that Angel was holding her side as if she had a broken rib.

Fury completely took over my body. "I swear, if you hurt them, I. Will. Kill. You." I made my eyes burn with hatred as I held Danny's gaze. She took a step back.

"Max," Fang said in a choked voice. I looked at him. Dylan had his arms pinned behind his back and he had one arm around his neck. Fang had a bloody nose, but not much else was wrong with him. "Kill her."

I was kind of shocked. I had never killed anyone before. (Except for Ari. But that didn't count because he came back to life.) I met his eyes and knew he was serious. Deep within me, though, I knew he was right. I couldn't let her hurt anyone again.

I realized that I was surrounded by the remaining Omega men. It was just me and Danny in the center and I knew that they wouldn't dare lay a finger on her.

I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from screaming in frustration.

I closed my eyes. _**How do I kill her?**_ I asked the Voice.

I wasn't expecting a response, so I was completely shocked when the words, _**You can't,**_ drifted through my head.

A shiver ran up my spine. If I couldn't kill Danny, what was I supposed to do?

_**Don't kill Danielle. Kill the evil within her.**_

I guess that made sense, but how the heck was that even possible?

Then a sudden thought planted itself in my mind. If I could deflect Danny's powers, could I also conjure up my own offensive moves?

Thinking hard, I imagined Dylan and the Omega men flying twenty feet backwards, leaving the flock alone.

As soon as I thought it, it was done.

The flock looked around in confusion. Their eyes widened as they spotted the Omega men nowhere near us.

"Fly!" I commanded.

Hesitantly, they got up and spread their wings. They looked back at me, unsure, but I nodded. "I'll find you later."

They took off. Except for Fang. He was just standing there, watching. He didn't even open his wings.

"GO!" I shouted. I knew he didn't want to leave, but this wasn't his battle. I couldn't risk him being hurt.

A look of understanding passed between us. He knew that I needed him to take care of the flock.

He slowly spread his wings. "Be safe, Max. No matter what, just be safe and live. I love you." And then he left. I realized that that was the first time that he had ever told me that he loved me.

I was watching his retreating figure when all of a sudden, he started to drop like a rock.

I heard a bloodcurdling scream and realized that it was mine. "Fang!" I shouted through tears.

I watched in horror as his body crashed on the ground. No, no, no, this couldn't be happening. Not now. Not ever.

I ran to him, but I could barely see through my tear filled vision.

Danny laughed behind me.

I heard her walking towards me, but I didn't care. I had to make sure that Fang was okay.

Fang was not okay. He had broken bones and bruises all over his body. I collapsed next to him and caressed his face.

"Fang…" I croaked. "Live. I love you, just live."

His glossy eyes focused on me and he managed a smile. "Max… I'm glad it was me. I'm glad I'm the first to go."

"Don't say that!" I gasped.

"Don't be sad," he whispered with a frown. "You need to get out of here. Find the flock and take care of them." His voice was becoming raspy and he was having trouble breathing. This could _not_ be happening. I needed him. He was my life.

"Don't go!" I begged.

I clutched him to my chest and rocked back and forth.

"How touching," Danny sneered.

"_Shut up!"_ I hissed at her.

She came up next to me and looked down at me. "You're stronger than this, Max. Look at yourself. You look like a pathetic child." She was probably right, but I didn't care.

My breathing was ragged, and I was desperately trying to ignore her.

"You can still save him," she spoke to me. Instantly, she had my attention.

I looked up at her, begging her to go on.

"Give me your power. Surrender it to me. I will heal him."

Could she really do that? I shook myself. Did it really matter? If it meant that there was a chance to save Fang, I would do it. I loved him.

_**Be reasonable,**_ the Voice chimed. _**Take **_**her **_**power and **_**you **_**could heal him.**_

Could _I_ really do that?

_**Concentrate. You can do it.**_

I fixed my eyes on Danny and felt her power surrounding her. I imagined her power drain from her and seep into me.

I started to feel… smarter. I don't know how to describe it. It was like a new understanding of life was being breathed into me and I was hungrily awaiting more.

"Max! What are you doing?" Dylan cried.

I looked at him. For the first time, I could understand him. I had always been so quick to judge him. Now I could see things from his perspective. He had had a rough life. He'd grown up in the School, just like me. The only family he had was his sister, who only cared about her own power, and his father, who openly offered him up for experimentation. When Jeb had broken him out, I could imagine his relief. He finally thought that someone cared about him. When he found out the truth about Jeb, he must have been devastated. The only person he had left was me. He thought that since we were meant to be together, we would be. He thought that he would love me and that I would love him in return.

I smiled sympathetically at him and he raised an eyebrow at me. I'd been cold to him the past couple of days and all of a sudden I was smiling at him while my boyfriend was dying. I probably looked crazy. I realized that I probably was.

Danny's legs were shaking.

"What… What are you doing?" She demanded.

I continued to draw power from her.

"NO!" she growled. "You will not take my knowledge from me!"

I soaked it up, absorbing every last drop.

"I already did," I whispered.

Danny fell to the ground. Dylan rushed to her and checked her pulse. "She's still alive," he confirmed.

I didn't hear him. I was caught up in my new world. Everything seemed brighter; I could see many things at once. The understanding and wisdom that ran through me was exhilarating.

I could think about how to heal Fang and how the life of a ladybug functioned, all at once. It sounds crazy, but it felt amazing.

I zap ran through me. A zap of power.

Imagine all the things I could do with this… this strength!

I imagined people bowing down before me. I saw the flock standing around me, ruling with me. Then I shook my head. I didn't need the flock! I didn't want to share this power. I wanted it all to myself.

I laughed at the rightness of it.

"Max?" Dylan asked cautiously. "What did you do?"

I turned my gaze on him. "I am a new person, Dylan. I know now how I'm supposed to save the world."

He gulped. "How?"

"By ruling it."

His eyes widened. "Really?"

I nodded.

He looked at me harder. I could feel his eyes boring into my soul. "I can't let you do that."

"What do you mean?" I snapped.

"You don't want to do that, Max. That's just the power talking. Think about what you want. What you _really _want." He looked sad, as if he was trying to help, but it was killing him to do so.

I looked within myself.

What did I really want?

The gears in my head started turning. My heart was racing and my whole body was shaking.

I could feel the battle ripping me apart from the inside out. It was a battle between who I used to be, and the new me with the powerful ability to be in charge.

I was so close to saving the world… and so close to tearing it apart.

I realized that this is what I'd been made for. This was the decision that decided the fate of the Earth.

My mind was tugging in so many different directions; I had the biggest headache ever.

I felt the power-hungry monster roaring inside me, and felt the fearless old-me trying to force it back.

I was about to explode.

"Max…" Fang whispered.

My eyes snapped open.

Fang. I couldn't live without him. Desperately, I stared into his eyes and was reminded of the many things that I had almost thrown away with the prospect of control.

"Fang, I'm going to save you. Don't worry."

I smiled and a new batch of tears leaked down my face.

I felt a white hot energy run through my body. It filled my spirit and lifted my soul. I felt it spread through my fingers and into Fang's body. I felt it nurture him. The energy spread farther than Fang. It spread quickly through the ground. Dylan jerked as it hit him. He shivered and closed his eyes. The strong energy and power traveled beyond my reach, I felt it spreading all over the world and into the hearts of every living being. Suddenly, a huge weight was lifted off of my shoulders.

I know. That's a lot of power. I was almost sad to give it up. But I swear, the second Fang opened his eyes, I knew it was worth it.

"Fang!" I gasped.

His bruises were gone and he looked perfectly fine.

Without hesitating, he grabbed my face in his hands and pressed his lips to mine. I kissed him back, not wanting it to ever end.

"You just saved the world," he whispered to me.

I blinked. "No big deal," I lied with a smile. Truth was, I was completely freaked out.

I was so happy it was over. I didn't have to obsess over it any longer. I could live my life without regret and maybe, just maybe, my life could be normal for once.

I looked at Dylan, expecting him to be glowering at us. Instead, he was smiling. "That was awesome," he laughed. "Thank you, Max."

I smiled. "I'm sorry about your sister."

He shook his head. "You saved her. You took on her power, her evil, and somehow you fought against it. You turned it into something good and released it into the world." He sounded completely sure of it. "Thank you, Max. I love you. Don't forget that. I love you, even though you may not love me. I want you to live a life full of joy. Find the flock and tell them I'm sorry."

I kneeled next to him and lightly kissed him on the cheek. He beamed up at me. A single tear ran down my face as I walked away from him.

I looked at Fang. "What next?" I asked.

"We find the flock."

I rolled my eyes. "And then?"

He smirked. "I was thinking… island vacation?"

I laughed as we launched ourselves into the sky, feeling freer than I had ever felt in my entire life.

………………………………...……**THE END**…………………………………………

**Thank you! I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I did. I still would like reviews on this exceedingly long last chapter. And send me some PM's to suggest what you think I should write about next! Oh, and don't forget to check out the actual 6th MR book that came out today! It's awesome**! :D


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